Manuel Pellegrini praised the depth of Manchester City’s squad following their comfortable Capital One Cup victory over Hull City at the Etihad on Tuesday.
City secured a convincing 4-1 victory against the Championship side, with Wilfried Bony’s early goal added to by Kelechi Iheanacho and two from Kevin De Bruyne.
Pellegrini expressed his delight over the victory, which he believes showed numerous qualities in his squad.
“It is great for all the players to be involved in all competitions,” the Chilean manager said.
“I am very pleased because that was a difficult game against a good team at the top of the table in the Championship.
“More than that, we played our third game in less than one week – I think we had a very good response of the squad with different names.”
Pellegrini’s side have now qualified for the semi-final stage, and City will be eyeing up their fourth League Cup triumph in their history.
Against Hull, the Citizens won their seventh consecutive League Cup tie against a side from a lower tier, scoring 28 goals and conceding three times in this run.
City’s home form has contributed greatly to this run, and they have scored four goals or more in five of their last six League Cup games at the Etihad Stadium.
De Bruyne in particular has showcased impressive home form, and has had a hand in 13 goals in 10 games at the Etihad this season (six goals, seven assists).
The Belgian midfielder formed part of an impressive attacking side for City on Tuesday, as David Silva made his first start on his return from injury as captain.
Pellegrini highlighted the importance of the Spaniards return, while he also praised the contributions of strikers Bony and Iheanacho.
“It was very important for David,” the 62-year-old Blues boss declared.
“The most important thing was to qualify for the semi-final, but it was also important for him to have 80 minutes after a long injury.
“It was also important for Bony to play for 65 minutes after he only recovered from a muscle injury a few days before Saturday, and it was good for Kelechi to score.
“He is a very young player. He wants to learn more every day and scoring goals is important for his development.”
Image courtesy of Alex Morton/Action Images, with thanks.
