Manchester City eased into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 3-0 win away to Preston at Deepdale last night, with all three goals coming in the first half.
Raheem Sterling broke the deadlock in the 19th minute, tricking his way past three opponents before his deflected shot beat Preston goalkeeper Connor Ripley. [via Sky Sports]
Gabriel Jesus then had a goal ruled out for offside but would soon have his name on the scoresheet after he beat Ripley from a tight angle to double the visitors’ lead. [via Sky Sports]
The third goal came shortly before the interval when Ryan Ledson was unfortunate to turn David Silva’s cross into his own net. [via Sky Sports]
Manchester City had further chances in the second half, Phil Foden coming closest when his effort struck the crossbar, but had to settle for a 3-0 victory. [via Sky Sports]
Pep Guardiola went with two teenagers at centre-back in Eric Garcia (18) and Taylor Harwood-Bellis (17), the latter making his senior Manchester City debut and the former putting his hand up for further inclusion with a fine display at Deepdale.
Garcia claimed an assist for the Premier League champions’ first goal, picking out Sterling with an astute pass through the lines as the England international then feinted his way into position to finish the chance. [via Manchester Evening News]
He had the most touches of anyone in the game with 110 and recorded superb passing figures of 96% accuracy, having completed 90 of the 94 passes he attempted. [via WhoScored.com]
While Preston had only five shots on the night, the Spanish teenager still performed commendably from a defensive point of view, winning one tackle and making two interceptions and six clearances. The latter figure was twice as many as any other player involved in the match. [via WhoScored.com]
The 18-year-old’s excellent performance was acknowledged by Manchester Evening News writer Stuart Brennan, who handed Garcia an eight rating and said that he “was constantly organising, encouraging and cajoling, and his own passing and positioning were very good”.
Brennan added that the teenage centre-back was “a real thinker who organises the back four, able to play the game of others as well as his own”. [via Manchester Evening News]
With John Stones ruled out until next month, according to The Mirror, and Aymeric Laporte sidelined until 2020, as reported by The Guardian, Guardiola had been playing midfielder Fernandinho at centre-back in recent games.
Garcia’s assured and mature display against Preston suggested that the teenager is quite capable of making the leap to regular first team inclusion and eliminating the need to deploy Fernandinho out of position.
Manchester City fans, how impressed were you with Garcia’s performance against Preston? Comment below with your views!
