After finishing the League Cup final, Man City returned from London to Manchester, with no time at all to rest before immediately facing their postponed Premier League Round 26 match.
Because Man City had played in the League Cup, they had missed their Premier League Round 26 fixture, which was postponed to midweek. They hosted Blackburn.
For this match, everyone, including key players such as Su Dong and David Silva, was given a rest.
Even so, Man City still defeated visiting Blackburn 3–0 at home with goals from Douglas Costa, Agüero, and Džeko, taking all three points from the postponed fixture.
Three days later, in Premier League Round 27, Man City once again hosted a match at home, this time welcoming Bolton.
Just as three days earlier, Guardiola once again kept key players such as Su Dong on the bench. He continued to use a rotated and reserve lineup against Bolton, eventually defeating them 2–0 at home thanks to Agüero's brace.
Whether it was winning the League Cup or defeating their opponents in two consecutive matches with reserve lineups, Man City's performances attracted a great deal of media attention. Within the team, however, they caused little commotion. Everyone was even more focused on preparations.
For Man City, there was already little suspense surrounding the Premier League title. The remaining eleven matches were mostly about maintaining their current lead while adjusting the team's form. The true main battlefield was still the Champions League.
Of course, there was also the FA Cup.
Setting aside the FA Cup's special significance in English football, local fans attached tremendous importance to the competition. More importantly, Man City had already won the League Cup, and the Premier League title was virtually theirs as well. If they could win the FA Cup too, those three trophies