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Manchester City teenager Divine Mukasa enjoyed a good debut as Pep Guardiola's side beat Huddersfield Town 2-0 in the Carabao Cup.
Having done their best impression of a Jose Mourinho team at the weekend, this trip across the Pennines could have felt like Pep Guardiola reasserting his principles of possession. So determined was he to show that Sunday was a one-off that Guardiola even went back to the tactic he is often credited with pioneering: the false nine.
Divine Mukasa might not be Lionel Messi. Or Phil Foden or Bernardo Silva for that matter. But compared to Erling Haaland, he is more false nine than number nine. There were times when this was like watching City pre-Haaland again, albeit the opposition were limited and the goals didn't flow.
Mukasa, 18, did his chances of further first-team involvement no harm at all, however. It crept under the radar, but the debutant was one of six players in the starting XI that City could lay claim to being academy graduates, having joined the club at 16 from West Ham United.
He could have gone out on loan this summer, having been a productive attacker for the Under-18s, but it was felt there was merit in keeping him around and he has become a regular in first-team training this season. After three appearances on the bench last week, he got his chance to start in this Carabao Cup tie and showed enough to suggest he will get more chances this term.
Mukasa started as the central striker in what was otherwise a very strong City side, but he interpreted the role very differently from Haaland. The teenager drifted to the left and deep, often going alongside or even behind Foden, while Savinho and Oscar Bobb were left high and wide.
He took the right direction to return the ball to Phil Foden for his goal and dropped deep early in the second half to get on the ball and spray an excellent pass out wide to Bobb.
The London-born youngster wasn't afraid to initiate either. One first-half shot from distance was deflected wide for a corner, and he had a second-half volley saved by Lee Nicholls. Mukasa showed his technique to catch the volley flush, only to direct it straight at the goalkeeper.
It had been a night of frustration for City until Savinho's goal finally put the tie beyond doubt. City were in control throughout. Their average share of possession for the week is now a shade over 55%, which should end the idea that Guardiola woke up on Sunday morning and decided it was time to channel his inner Mourinho.
The Blues were forced back by Arsenal at the weekend but the boot was on the other foot in West Yorkshire. They pinned the Terriers in for large periods of the game and monopolised possession to the point that they had more than 75% of the ball.
If there was a criticism, it was a lack of cutting-edge, and Guardiola looked vexed when he hauled all 11 players over for an impromptu and animated team talk with just four minutes of the first half to play. With Zepi Redmond receiving attention, the City boss frantically waved his team over, including James Trafford, who might have been glad of the chance to get his steps in after a quiet first half.
In truth, their lead never felt under threat. This was as routine as Carabao Cup third-round ties get, but for the youngest member of their starting XI, it will be a night he never forgets.
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