A late winner from Omar Marmoush lifted Manchester City to a 3–1 victory over Swansea and into the Carabao Cup quarterfinals.
The Cityzens got off to a less-than-ideal start in South Wales when Gonçalo Franco curled home a stunning strike to take the early lead in front of an elated home crowd. Pep Guardiola’s men grew into the game, though, and eventually took full control at Swansea.com Stadium.
Goals from Jérémy Doku, Marmoush and Rayan Cherki were enough to secure the victory for a Man City side lacking most of its superstars, including Erling Haaland. The win extended the Cityzens’ unbeaten streak to 16 games against Swansea, ending the hosts’ dreams of Carabao Cup glory.
Man City, on the other hand, will continue their quest to bring home their record-ninth Carabao Cup.
Man City Player Ratings vs. Swansea (4-1-4-1)
GK: James Trafford—6.8: Barely tested all night, but made a crucial save to keep Swansea from taking a two-goal lead in the first half.
RB: Rico Lewis—7.6: Nervy almost every time he was called upon in defence. Lewis looked much more comfortable when he got to feature in the attack.
CB: Abdukodir Khusanov—6.7: Produced a lackluster performance that will be remembered for nearly gifting Swansea a goal with a horrible pass out the back.
CB: Nathan Aké—7.3: Spent most of the match strolling around as his team took the game to Swansea.
LB: Rayan Aït-Nouri—8.4: Got bested in the buildup to Swansea’s lone goal, but put his head down and bounced back, especially in the attack.
DM: Nico González—8.3: Clinical outing for the Spaniard. González completed the most passes, had the most tackles and won the most duels in the match.
RW: Oscar Bobb—7.3: Predictable with the ball at his feet. Bobb routinely tried to dribble past two defenders at every opportunity and lost possession more often than not.
AM: Divine Mukasa—6.9: Struggled to get involved. What Mukasa lacked in creativity, though, he made up for with his admirable work rate.
AM: Rayan Cherki—9.1: Pulled the strings of Man City’s attack. Had he not been let down by his teammates on more than one occasion, Cherki would have ended the night with more than two goal contributions.
LW: Jérémy Doku—8.5: Dazzled down the left flank all night long. Doku was the most dangerous man on the pitch and was rewarded with a goal.
ST: Omar Marmoush—8.0: Made up for a quiet opening 45 minutes with a lively second half that resulted in City’s winner.
Subs not used: Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK), Marcus Bettinelli (GK), Matheus Nunes, Nico O’Reilly, Kalvin Phillips, Savinho.
Swansea (5-4-1)
Starting XI: Andy Fisher; Josh Key, Kaelan Casey, Cameron Burgess, Ishé Samuels-Smith, Josh Tymon; Melker Widell, Gonçalo Franco, Ethan Galbraith, Zeidane Inoussa; Adam Idah.
Subs used: Žan Vipotnik, Ronald Pereira, Jay Fulton, Manuel Benson, Liam Cullen.
Player of the Match: Rayan Cherki
Swansea 1–3 Man City—How It Unfolded at Swansea.com Stadium
To no surprise, Man City kicked off the game looking cool and confident in possession in South Wales. Guardiola’s widely changed XI were in full control of the game, but posed little threat in the early stages.
It was a single moment of magic from Franco that disrupted the Cityzens’ start. Josh Key fearlessly took on and outclassed Rayan Aït-Nouri before finding an unmarked Franco at the top of the box. The midfielder then curled home a brilliant strike to put Swansea up 1–0 in the 12th minute.
Man City once again grabbed control of the game, sending the hosts chasing after the ball with every quick pass they strung together. Yet a lack of inventiveness kept the English giants rather stagnant inside Swansea’s half, looking like a team with zero ideas to penetrate the Championship side’s defence.
Patience from the visitors eventually paid off. Just minutes after Cherki saw his effort from close-range denied by the woodwork, Jérémy Doku found the breakthrough for Man City. The winger used his speed to blow by Franco and then cut inside the box, where he unleashed a right-footed strike.
A deflection from Cameron Burgress steered the ball into the back of the net, helping Guardiola’s men go into halftime level.
Jérémy Doku keeps the play alive to bring Manchester City back level 💥 pic.twitter.com/3maEDSWal6
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 29, 2025
Man City came out of the tunnel with their sights set firmly on goal. The Cityzens applied suffocating pressure, pinning Swansea inside their own half. Yet for all their efforts, a go-ahead goal evaded the visitors.
Still, it felt like only a matter of time before the 10-time English champions got out in front. Marmoush eventually played hero in South Wales in the 77th minute; the Egyptian forward smashed a powerful shot into the roof of the net from a tight angle, beating Andy Fisher near post.
Omar Marmoush fires Manchester City into the lead with a stunning strike 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VD3VT0axC8
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 29, 2025
The goal, which was Marmoush’s first of the season, was enough alone to send Man City through to the Carabao Cup quarterfinals. Cherki, though, made sure there was no chance at Swansea getting back into the game with a stoppage-time strike, officially sealing the victory.
Swansea vs. Man City Halftime Stats
Swansea vs. Man City Full Time Statistics
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man City Player Ratings vs. Swansea: Overlooked Stars Deliver Nervy Win.
