New Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior watched his team suffer a disastrous start as Marc Cucurella was sent off just 22 minutes into the club's first match since his appointment away at Fulham. Under-21s manager Calum McFarlane took the team at Craven Cottage with Rosenior watching on from the sidelines.
But when the new 41-year-old head coach takes charge, he will now be without first-choice left-back Cucurella for their next three matches - an FA Cup third-round tie at Charlton Athletic, a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Chelsea and the visit of Brentford to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
Rosenior rejected the chance to manage Chelsea away at Fulham. Explaining the decision, he told Sky Sports: "Just travel. But mainly the fact that Calum did such an incredible job against Man City.
"The performance of the players, especially in the second half, the energy, the intensity, the quality that they played with. They've supported the lads in a really difficult moment in a really good way.
"I flew over from Strasbourg yesterday morning. It's a difficult timeframe for me to get in the tactical work that I need to get into to give the lads the best chance to win. I've got full faith in Calum and the lads to win the game tonight."