LONDON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Wednesday was a chastening night for Nigel Clough, the coach of League One (third tier) side Burton Albion as Manchester City demolished them 9-0 in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, but at least he could smile at the end.
The 9-0 final score is the highest ever in semi-final result in the competition and Burton Albion, still have the return leg to 'look forward' to.
It was a painful night for the visitors, who had knocked out 3 teams from higher divisions -- Burnley, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough on their way to the last 4, but City was a step too far.
The English press commented on Wednesday that Man City's first goalscorer, Kevin de Bruyne earns 100 times more than Burton's top earner and that gulf in class was clearly visible.
Manchester City had scored 7 goals to pass Championship (2nd tier) side Rotherham in the FA Cup and again they were in no mood for relaxing.
Speaking after the game in which Gabriel Jesus scored four goals, Clough, a former Manchester City player himself and the son of legendary coach Brian Clough, at least managed to keep his sense of humor, explaining City coach, Pep Guardiola had invited him to a glass of wine after the game.
"He said: 'Come in for a glass of wine.' I hope he's got more than a glass," joked Clough in his post-game press conference.
When asked about the defeat the Burton coach said he had no regrets.
"Do I wish we hadn't played? Not at all, we have made history in getting this far. It wasn't about tonight, it was about the achievement of getting here. We kept going right to the end," he commented.
Meanwhile Guardiola was also gracious in victory, saying it has been an "honor" to face a Clough.
"I wanted to congratulate them (Burton) for an incredible tournament. They beat mythical teams - like Aston Villa and Middlesbrough," he told the press.
