Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised young right-back Rico Lewis after his impressive performance against Chelsea in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
The Blues progressed to the next round of the competition thanks to goals from Riyad Mahrez and Julian Alvarez, with Guardiola making a number of changes to his side ahead of the final domestic game at the weekend before the season pauses for the World Cup in Qatar.
City scored twice in the second period and were worthy winners against Graham Potter's men. Although Guardiola named a strong side for the clash, he included youngster Lewis on the right of the defence.
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Lewis played the full 90 minutes and was impressive at right-back - helping his side keep a clean sheet against the London outfit. His personal performance led to praise from his manager, who lauded the teenager for his mature showing.
"He played exceptional, he played 17 years old against Chelsea... the squad they have, the players they have and he played so good, really, really good," said Guardiola.
"In this moment, so hard to face... he had to face [Christian] Pulisic, [Hakim] Ziyech and, in the second half, [Kai] Havertz and Mason Mount and just live how we live today for himself, it's an incredible experience, when you live that, the future will be bright. Of course he has to improve, he's 17 years old, but he played exceptional."
He added: "We can rely on him, of course we have Kyle [Walker] when he's back, we have Joao [Cancelo], we have John [Stones] and they are better and more experienced in everything, but the experience you get is just game time and minutes."
City will learn their next round opponents following Manchester United's clash against Aston Villa on Thursday night, with the draw taking place after the match at Old Trafford.
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