Khusanov will only learn from Etihad debut, says Pep

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The young Uzbek defender, who arrived from Lens on Monday, was handed an immediate debut alongside fellow new signing Omar Marmoush.

But he got off to the toughest start, his third minute back header being intercepted and leading to Noni Madueke’s opener for Chelsea.

It was a testing moment and one that only intensified when Khusanov then picked up a sixth minute booking.

Rather than buckling under the pressure, however, he stood tall buoyed by the support and back of his City teammates and the Etihad fans.

Indeed it was Khusanov’s block that helped deny a second Chelsea goal for Jadon Sancho before City deservedly levelled through Josko Gvardiol.

After the break City’s dominance was deservedly rewarded with a sensational Erling Haaland chip before a late Phil Foden strike sealed the deal.

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Reflecting on the win – which lifted City back up into fourth place – and Khusanov’s Premier League baptism, the boss said the youngster would only benefit and learn from the experience.

“What I thought was it is not the best start, right? He will take the lessons; he is young and has come for many years,” Pep pointed out.

“It is not easy. I love the reaction of his mates. He made one training session. He will learn. He is young and he will take a lesson from that.”

Pep decided to take Khusanov off early in the second half and replace him with John Stone, partly with one eye on Wednesday’s huge Champions League clash at home to Club Brugge.

The boss also revealed he was conscious that the young defender was already on a yellow card.

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“He doesn’t speak English. In that situation there isn’t much to say, he knows he made a mistake. What can I say - don’t make a mistake! He knows it!,” the boss added.

“Marmoush, Vitor [Reis] and Khusanov cannot play on Wednesday and John needs the rhythm.

“We have a final on Wednesday with our people and John is important [which is why I made the change.]”

The victory not only extended City’s unbeaten league record in 2025 but also [provided a timely boost to our push for a Champions League spot.

And Pep said it also served as the perfect confidence booster ahead of that big Brugge encounter.

“We weren’t exceptional, but we take the ball a lot and made a lot of passes,” the City boss added.

“They don’t know the movement of Marmoush yet but in the situation, we are in a 3-1 win over Chelsea, and it is really important for us ahead of our final on Wednesday and the rest of the Premier League.”