MANCHESTER, England — New addition Abdukodir Khusanov faced a challenging start to his Premier League career on Saturday as he made his debut for Manchester City.
In a startling turn of events, just four minutes into the match at the City’s home ground, Khusanov was involved in conceding a goal to Chelsea, and shortly after received a yellow card.
Despite these early setbacks, City went on to secure a 3-1 victory over Chelsea, with manager Pep Guardiola expressing understanding and support for the young Uzbek defender.
“It is not easy for him,” Guardiola shared with the media. “He trains once and then has to face players like (Nicolas) Jackson, Cole (Palmer), (Noni) Madueke, and (Jadon) Sancho. It’s a learning experience when you acquire a player at such a young age. He will gain valuable lessons from moments like these.”
Guardiola felt compelled to give Khusanov the starting position, having just transferred from Lens for 40 million euros ($41.5 million) earlier in the week. The manager opted to ease John Stones back into play, who has recently recovered from an injury, keeping him for an important Champions League match against Brugge in the upcoming week.
City also marked the debut of Omar Marmoush from Egypt, who joined from Eintracht Frankfurt for around 70 million euros ($73 million).
Marmoush made a significant impact, yet Khusanov’s early error was pivotal. A misplaced header pass to the goalkeeper Ederson fell short and was intercepted by Jackson, who quickly set up Madueke for a goal into an unguarded net.
The moment was captured by TV cameras showing a surprised Khusanov just three minutes into the match.
Soon after, in the fourth minute, he received the earliest yellow card for a debut player in the league since 2018.
When Khusanov was substituted in the 54th minute with the score tied at 1-1, he received a warm round of applause from the home crowd and a supportive embrace from Guardiola on the sidelines.
“The players came together, which is immensely important,” Guardiola added. “Mistakes can happen to any player. Our fans consistently support new players. He’s still very young and has plenty to learn.”
