Pep Guardiola saw Manchester City edge past Championship leaders Wolves in the Carabao Cup - and bizarrely blamed the ball for his side’s struggles.
City survived a scare at the Etihad, eventually winning 4-1 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.
Guardiola’s side were fortunate to reach the last eight however, with Wolves having the game’s best chances, young striker Bright Enobakhare and Helder Costa both missing one-on-one opportunities against Claudio Bravo.
Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus both started in a City attack also featuring Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva, with Aguero and Sterling culpable for poor misses themselves.
But it was the Mitre ball - not used in the Premier League but a staple in the Football League - that Guardiola took umbrage with.
“It is not acceptable, the ball was unacceptable for a high-level competition,” Guardiola said. “It is too light, it moves all over the place, it is not a good ball.
"It is impossible to score with a ball like that and I can say that because we won, I’m not making excuses. All of my players said: ‘What is that?’
"I’m sorry Carabao Cup is not a serious ball for a serious competition. It’s marketing, money, OK but it’s not acceptable – [it has] no weight, nothing.”
Guardiola’s side had spent the previous two days training with the ball, which was brought in by EFL chiefs for EFL competitions at the start of the season, but the Spaniard remained dismissive.
“One day or two days, but the ball is bad for one year or two years, it’s not acceptable. All the players complain.”