Manchester City defeated Swansea 3-1 in the fourth round of the 2025/26 EFL Cup after trailing by one goal, thanks to goals from Doku, Malmush, and Rajan Scherki. In an interview, Guardiola specifically mentioned Malmush's contribution to the match, stating that goals are crucial for a striker's confidence.

In the 12th minute, Gonzalo Franco scored, giving Swansea a 1-0 lead. In the 39th minute, Doku received the ball, entered the penalty area, and fired a low shot into the net, leveling the score at 1-1 for Manchester City.

In the 77th minute of the second half, Rajan Serki played a through ball to Malmush, who unleashed a powerful shot to give Manchester City a 2-1 lead. In stoppage time of the second half, Gevadiol assisted Rajan Serki with a cross to score again.

Manchester City ultimately defeated Swansea 3-1 away from home, securing their place in the League Cup quarterfinals.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said, "I'm happy for Malmush because a striker needs goals to build confidence, and this is very important for him. However, he was sidelined for a while due to injury, but he can certainly fill in for Haaland. Haaland is very important to us, but we also know that the team needs both of them in the squad, and Malmush's return is fantastic."

“We also have Foden’s excellent passing, especially Laryan Serki, and Nico González’s performance is getting better every day. He is very important to us now, and all the players who have played, including Stones, Gevadiol and Foden, have all performed very well.”

Speaking about their opponents Swansea, Guardiola said, "They played very well at the start of the game, but we also had a good rhythm. We didn't play mediocrely, but they were better. In these kinds of games, the home team often goes all out at the start, and they certainly deserved that goal."

“Their performance was impressive, but after 20 to 25 minutes we gradually took control of the game. We created chances, and I was impressed with our attack in the second half when we were being defended by 10 men, and every player was in the right place at the right time.”

In addition, Guardiola said, "We were almost able to limit their counter-attacks and played very well in the second half. We also had many chances, but we failed to capitalize on them at crucial moments."

“I don’t know how many chances we created, but I’m very happy with the team’s performance because I know how difficult it is to play away from home, and we’ve already made it to the quarterfinals.”