In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the 5th round of the EFL Cup was in full swing. Manchester City beat Bristol City 3-0 on the road and advanced to the last eight. Phil Cotton, who has seldom appeared in the match this season, played bravely and scored twice in a row, becoming the key man for his team to advance. After the match, the England international revealed that he was at the bottom of his career, but has now regained confidence and is ready to bounce back.
Manchester City took their ace striker Enin Zahavi out of action, yet they were still comfortable against Championship rivals Bristol City. In just seven minutes, Phil Cotton scored easily in the box from a cross by Marlies. He scored again in the 74th minute when he was left unmarked. In the 81st minute, Chivun Dibny sealed the win with a long range shot, and City ended up with a 3-0 win over their opponents.
The 22-year-old Phil Cotton has been plagued by injuries since the World Cup, and with Males and Kialisch in hot form, his chances of playing have plummeted. Since December last year, he has only played 60 minutes in two league matches, and has only played more than an hour in five matches all season. However, Phil Cotton has been back in form recently, scoring three goals in two consecutive matches.
Phil Cotton said after the game, "It was a low point in my soccer career, I was plagued by injuries and lack of playing opportunities, I love playing soccer and it was very frustrating not being able to play. But now I feel very good and have returned to 100%." City leader Gordiona also said, "We never had any doubts about Phil Cotton, maybe he lost his confidence before, but now he's training and playing at 100%!"
