It’s not often you can come away from a 3-0 defeat and feel as though there are plenty of positives to take from it, yet the emotions around Ashton Gate after Tuesday’s loss at the hands of Manchester City weren't of anger or frustration, but pride.
For around 70 minutes, Bristol City gave the Premier League champions a real game and it only took moments of brilliance from Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne to show the difference in levels between the two sides.
While the 12-game unbeaten run has now been curtailed, the fact the Bristol City players felt deflated by the result showed how far the group had come, as Nigel Pearson stated after the tie.
