City hosted the match and fielded a heavily rotated line-up, a selection decision that gave Brentford genuine hope before kick-off that an upset could be on the cards.
That belief was reinforced early on when a long ball was played forward into Manchester City’s final third and found Brentford forward Kevin Schade in space.
Schade touched the ball past Abdukodir Khusanov and appeared to be through on goal, with the ball entering the penalty area and only the goalkeeper left to beat.
Khusanov brought the Brentford attacker down from behind, halting the move at a critical moment. The referee awarded a free-kick but opted to show only a yellow card to the City defender.
From Brentford’s perspective, the decision was highly contentious. Players immediately protested, believing the foul met the criteria for a red card given Schade’s clear goalscoring opportunity.
The sense of frustration lingered long after the incident, with many feeling Manchester City were fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men so early in a knockout tie.
“It was a big moment, wasn’t it? 15, 16 minutes into the game,” said Bees boss Keith Andrews.
“I’m very quick to defend officials… I’ve been drawn into nothing so far in the time I’ve been in charge because it’s such a difficult job.
“But it’s one I feel that they didn’t get right, tonight. And the explanation around the touch being too far away from goal doesn’t quite sit well with me after watching it back, because he’s clean through on goal.”
