Thursday 25 February 2016 07:36, UK
Manuel Pellegrini's decision to rest most of his first-team players in the FA Cup was vindicated by Manchester City's impressive win over Dynamo Kiev, according to former City defender Kit Symons.
City fielded a youthful side in the FA Cup against Chelsea on Sunday with one eye on the Champions League last-16 clash with Kiev.
Only Fernando kept his place from the team that started the 5-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge as Joe Hart, Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Yaya Toure returned.
And Symons said the decision to make wholesale changes at the weekend was justified as City won the first leg 3-1 in Kiev to put themselves in a strong position to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
"He (Pellegrini) will say this is part of the masterplan and it paid off," he said on Sky Sports. "Not only with the team selection but the way he played with Silva as a 10 and Fernandinho doing a fantastic job on the right both defensively and going forward.
"They got it spot on and played very well, the best I have seen them play this season. Some of the attacking play was sensational, but the most impressive thing was the work-rate collectively.
"In the first half they were brilliant, Dynamo Kiev were slightly disappointing but City did not let them play, they pressed them really high, scored two very good goals and could have had more.
"The second half was more of a competition, Kiev posed more of a threat, but City looked such a threat on the break and got a well-deserved third."
Aguero and Silva scored in the first half as City dominated proceedings against a Kiev side who had not played a competitive match for almost three months.
The visitors improved after the break and pulled a goal back through Vitali Buyalsky, but Toure added a third after Hart pulled off a fantastic save to stop Buyalsky making it 2-2.
"It was crucial," said Symons. "Not only the save but pushing the ball away as (Junior) Moraes was waiting to tap in had he not gone a strong hand to it. It was a crucial save at a key time."
