Pep Guardiola called Rayan Cherki an “exceptional player” after the Frenchman’s first-half strike inspired Manchester City to a 2-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Brentford.Cherki has endured an injury-impacted start to life at City since his £30million summer move from Lyon, but the 22-year-old has impressed in recent weeks, with four assists in his last four Premier League appearances and now a superb goal for his fourth of the campaign.When Brentford failed to properly clear Divine Mukasa’s corner, the ball came to Cherki on the edge of the box and he quickly side-stepped Mikkel Damsgaard before unleashing a powerful shot into the top corner.
