Huddersfield 0-2 Manchester City Review

League Cup 3rd Round

Manchester City started their League Cup campaign with a win against Huddersfield Town whilst rotating key first-team players, and seeing plenty of academy players involved in the performance. Divine Mukasa picked up an assist on his senior debut; others made their debuts off the bench, all following the example set by Phil Foden.

MOTM: PHIL FODEN

Other standout performances include: Nico Gonzalez & Nico O’Reilly

Notable Stats:

• Matheus Nunes and Nathan Ake complete their first full 90' of the season.

• For the first time this season, neither Tijjani Reijnders nor Erling Haaland started for Manchester City.

• Phil Foden starts 4+ consecutive matches for the first time since February 1st, 2025.

Game Stats:

Huddersfield 0-2 Manchester City

• xG: 0.24 - 1.17

• Possession: 25.0% - 75.0%

• Field Tilt: 11.0% - 89.0%

• Penalty Box Shots: 3 - 10

• Box Entries: 3 - 35

• PPDA: 36.5 - 6.0

If you want to stay up-to-date on individual player minutes, back four combinations, underlying numbers, and more, check out the live Google sheet below. 👇

Here is how the team set up against Huddersfield once in possession as Nunes could drift out to support Oscar Bobb, Nico O’Reilly would move inside and make runs through the half-space, and Phil Foden would drop deep or float between the lines. Nico Gonzalez is the number six.

In the first half, there were a few players on the ball outside the opposition block, dropping out. In the second half, they focused on finding Nico at the base of the midfield to turn and find his teammates between the lines. Cutting through Huddersfield far quicker after that change.

There were a few chances created across the first half, and there were also examples like this one below that were missing the final action. Foden times this pass over the top to Rico Lewis perfectly, who lays it off for a teammate to tap in from the 6-yard box, if either of Mukasa or Savinho made the run.

Phil Foden 18' 0-1 
A quick one-two from Foden and Mukasa finds the former free on the edge of the box. Takes one touch to set the ball before striking it into the far bottom right corner. Run by O'Reilly helps to create more space for Foden to shoot. The first goal from outside the box Phil Foden has scored since against West Ham (19/05/2024).

In the second half, the team did a much better job of cutting through Huddersfield with quick passes. Something Guardiola alluded to post-match when talking about Nico Gonzalez was to find him, then quickly turn and play it through the lines to find the winger running in behind. Nico creates a great chance for O’Reilly, whose attempt to chip the keeper is saved.

These are the types of situations where Savinho must make decisions, especially if he’s playing as the left winger. In both, he ends up cutting onto his fight foot, taking several touches looking for a chance to shoot instead of picking out the runs of his teammates.

Important to mention, it’s only his first start of the season, and I don’t think there is a lack of quality from Savinho, rather the application. Along with his poor effort in pressing against Arsenal, at fault for the goal conceded, and the number of players he’s competing with now. He’s got to pick up the pace if he wants to play consistently.

Savinho 74' 0-2 
This season, Savinho scored in his first start for Manchester City, after taking sixteen starts to score last season. Found by Phil Foden free inside the box, takes one touch to set the ball and strikes with his left foot into the roof of the goal.

Having the full-back running across to block means Savinho only has the time for one touch before shooting. He needs to apply that next time he arrives in the box, too. Often in this game, Savinho is taking touch after touch, running out of space, and missing opportunities to shoot or pass to a teammate inside the box.

If there was a complaint to be had, it’s that it took the team a while to find the second goal and allow Guardiola to make changes. Phil Foden (Reijnders) and Nico O’Reilly (J. Heskey) coming off after 76’. Ideally, you’d have taken those two off by 60’ latest.

I should mention Nico O’Reilly, who continues to make smart runs through the half-spaces, remained composed in possession, and stable as a defender. At the very least, he’s tough competition for Ait-Nouri, who will give the team depth in a position we’ve not seen in a long time.

Great to see Jaden Heskey make his debut off the bench, joined shortly by his brother Reigan Heskey (83’), who came on for Savinho. We also saw Kalvin Phillips (83’) replace Nico Gonzalez and get his first minutes back from injury.

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Moving Forward

For the fourth round, Manchester City travel to play against Swansea City, which will be another opportunity for some academy players to pick up minutes. The Championship side currently sits 11th in the table. The match is expected to take place on the 29th of October, which puts it after two away games against Villarreal and Aston Villa. Ahead of the home match against Bournemouth.

Elsewhere in the draw, Arsenal play against Brighton (H), Newcastle host Tottenham (H), and Crystal Palace head to Liverpool (A). Chelsea drew Wolves (A).

Rodri, Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland, and Josko Gvardiol all stayed at home for this match, resting ahead of the Premier League match at the weekend. Four players you’d expect to start against Burnley on the weekend, and despite the injuries to others, it’s a good sign of the depth Manchester City has this season. To leave those four at home.

82' for Nico Gonzalez, who finishes the game with the joint-most chances created (3). 1 big chance created, 6 ball recoveries, and 3 interceptions. Impressive performance off the ball, in that he made it look easy to recover possession, and always be in the right position to block passing lanes. Giving the team control high up the pitch. Game by game, he’s picking up more of the small details. Having a competent rotation and successor to Rodri will be key for Manchester City across this season and the next couple of years.

There have been two insightful articles about Divine Mukasa lately, one by Jack Gaughan about the opinion the club staff have on the player, and another by Tyrone Marshall interviewing Mukasa after his performance against Huddersfield. Well worth checking each out.

It’s clear why the player has impressed Manchester City internally in such a short space of time with his mature performance in the League Cup, already handling the physicality of men’s football at 18, and showing the technical ability you’d expect from a CFA graduate. Being able to play as a false nine gives him a route towards minutes over this season in the Cup competitions, similar to Oscar Bobb 23/24, which will put him in a good position by the summer to break into the first team more consistently. If his development continues at this rate.

For a club that has grown tremendously over the last decade, if there is one area that helps to make all fans connected to the club, it’s seeing the local players come through the academy to become genuine first-team players. By the time we get to May, a few of them could be in the first-choice starting eleven, and it’s great to see so many involved in the cup competitions. Making your professional debut with your brother is a special moment for the Heskey family.

Next up for Manchester City is Burnley (H) on the 27th of September at 15:00 (UK). Kyle Walker will make his return to the Etihad in a game the team will want to get back to winning, continuing to build momentum, as they head into a kinder run of fixtures. They’ll also expect to see the likes of Ait-Nouri, Cherki, Marmoush, Kovacic, and Khusanov return over the next few weeks.

If you’re looking for more content covering the match, check out the latest Ninety Three Twenty podcast linked below. 👇