Pep Guardiola on Wednesday admitted that he was relieved Manchester City sealed their place in the EFL Cup final without any injuries in a 1-0 win on Burton Albion’s “dangerous” pitch.
Guardiola’s side had thrashed Burton 9-0 in the semi-final first leg earlier this month to effectively guarantee they would return to Wembley 12 months after winning the competition.
Inevitably, City took it easier on the third-tier minnows this time and Sergio Aguero’s first-half strike was the only goal of a low-key second leg.
However, for Guardiola the tie had been fraught with danger due to the slippery state of the pitch at Pirelli Stadium.
“The pitch was so dangerous, so slippery,” Guardiola said. “Every game is completely different, we started at 9-0 up, but I didn’t see a lack of desire. We played seriously, had no injuries.”
“We made a good game, we missed the last pass, but the youngsters did well, they had good performances,” he added.
City are to play Tottenham Hotspur or Chelsea in the final on Feb. 24, with Spurs holding a 1-0 lead ahead of yesterday’s second leg at Stamford Bridge.
“It’s important to be in the final, it’s not easy to get to back-to-back finals, it doesn’t matter which competition,” Guardiola said. “Now we will prepare well and try to win it.”
City’s emphatic victory broke the record for the biggest aggregate win in an EFL Cup semi-final, surpassing the mark they set with a 9-0 demolition of West Ham United in 2014.
Since losing at Leicester City in the Premier League on Dec. 26, City have won seven successive games in all competitions.
There was more good news for Guardiola as France defender Benjamin Mendy returned to action after more than two months out with a knee injury.
The English champions will continue their bid to win four major trophies this season when they face Burnley in the FA Cup fourth round tomorrow.
With the tie all but over, Guardiola rested a host of players as he made eight changes against Nigel Clough’s team.
The City boss handed a debut to 18-year-old winger Ian Carlo Poveda, while there were also starts for Aro Muric, Phil Foden, Philippe Sandler and Eric Garcia.
Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez and Fabian Delph were the established stars in the holders’ starting lineup.
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