Manchester City left back Gael Clichy believes that his side were in control of their match against Swansea City in the EFL Cup third round on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola’s side played out to a 2-1 victory over the Swans in their League Cup tie at the Liberty Stadium.

The 31-year-old scored the Blues first of the match before Aleix Garcia doubled their lead. Gylfi Sigurdsson’s late goal proved only to be a consolation as the Blues made it through the fourth round.

Clichy insists that the most important aim of the match was to secure his side’s progression into the fourth round where they will now take Manchester United.

‘We could have avoided the goal as in England you never know until the final whistle. Overall we controlled the game but we didn’t start well. The first half wasn’t good enough but then we started to play in the second half,’ Clichy told the Manchester City website.

‘The victory is the most important thing though because if you lose you are out of the competition so now we can rest and look forward to Saturday.’

The former Arsenal left back says he acknowledged how crucial it was for the Blues to get ahead after scoring the opening goal for his side.

‘It just happens sometimes there is a moment in the game where the game changes a little bit,’ he added.

‘The first half wasn’t good enough but in the second half, we came back with more desire so we have to keep playing like this. It was a good night for everybody including the young players and everyone is happy now.’

Manchester City will now return to the Premier League when they face Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.

The match is scheduled for 16:00.

Image: Manchester City website