Man City put nine past Burton in Carabao Cup

Nigel Clough admitted Manchester City had the ability to “frighten” his players ahead of this tie.

But the Burton boss could surely not have imagined anything quite so scary as this, as Pep Guardiola's side ran amok at the Etihad Stadium to book their place in next month's final.

The Premier League champions showed their League One opponents no mercy as they executed a ruthless demolition of Clough's side, rendering the second leg an irrelevance.

By the time the ninth goal went in, with seven minutes still remaining, City's ebullient fans were chanting “We want 10!”, although the target of reaching double figures remained out of reach.

At the end, Guardiola and Clough embraced, the latter able to smile and share a joke with his opposite number, despite the agony he and his players had just put them through.

For Clough and his players, the only shred of comfort on an otherwise chastening and humiliating night was that City did not reach double figures, to compound Burton's sense of embarrassment.

Guardiola made four changes from the side that swatted aside Rotherham 7-0 in the FA Cup at the weekend, with keeper Aro Muric in goal, defender Eric Garcia – who marked his 18 birthday with his debut - midfielder David Silva and winger Leroy Sane coming into the team.

Nigel Clough recalled Burton's £500,000 record signing, Liam Boyce, one of three changes to the League One side, along with John Brayford and Kieran Wallace. Having won the League Cup twice as a player, Clough was making his third appearance in the semi-finals as a manager.

But few gave Burton, who dispatched Premier League opposition in the form of Burnley earlier in the competition, a chance of going through against City, 51 places above them in the English football pyramid and with a starting line-up that cost just shy of £300million.

Second in the Premier League against ninth in League One seemed a clear mismatch with only one outcome – and so it proved.

City took the lead and set the tone for an agonising night for Burton after just five minutes with a goal simple but ruthless in its inception and execution.

David Silva spotted Kevin De Bruyne's run and slung in the perfect delivery for City's £54m playmaker to nod the home side in front, with his third goal of an injury-interrupted campaign.

Burton could and should have drawn level in the 12th minute, with the only chance that came their way over 90 minutes.

Lucas Akins steered the ball across the City area and it fell invitingly at the feet of the unmarked Marcus Myers-Harness, who seemed destined to score, but lacked the requisite composure in front of the target and scooped his effort over the bar.

City put their opponents under sustained pressure throughout the first-half, laying siege to the Burton goal, but were unable to build on their early lead until the half-hour mark. Sane exchanged passes with Ilkay Gundogan, but saw his shot blocked by Burton keeper Bradley Collins, the ball spinning into the air, with Gabriel Jesus quickest to react to head into the net.

Jesus claimed his second of the night four minutes later, slotting the ball in off a post, although he and City had to wait to learn if the goal stood, with VAR employed to determine whether David Silva, who provided the assist, was offside, the verdict being he was onside.

Oleksandr Zinchenko made it 4-0 three minutes later, sending a looping angled effort over the head of Burton keeper Collins and into the net for his first City goal.

Riyad Mahrez almost made it 5-0 three minutes before the break but saw his close-range effort tipped over, with Collins making a fine reflex save.

Jesus duly completed his hat-trick just before the hour mark, nodding in a Mahrez cross, at which point Guardiola felt comfortable enough to bring on Foden, for De Bruyne.

Foden, 18, snaffled a goal moments after coming on to make it 6-0, steering the ball in after Jesus had failed to convert, while David Silva missed a chance to make it 7-0 a minute later.

Jesus claimed his fourth of the night in the 66th minute, while Kyle Walker got in on the act to make it 8-0 with 20 minutes left. Mahrez made it 9-0 in the 83rd minute as Clough slumped down in his chair in the away dugout, his and Burton's humiliation complete.