Manchester City could not repeat their eight-goal haul from the weekend against a side sitting third in the Championship but after making nine changes from the Watford glut
Pep Guardiola was happy enough with three first-half goals against Preston.
City handed a debut to 17-year-old Taylor Harwood-Bellis in his quest to explore all the centre-back options the club currently have, a back line that also included Angelino making his first full start and another teenager in Eric Garcia. Their manager was full of praise. “We can count on some extraordinary players,” Guardiola said. “We took the match seriously as always and, thanks to the young guys, we are through to the next round. The back four know each other from the academy and they combined perfectly.”