There were many positives for Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini in the wake of the 4-1 Capital One Cup quarter-final win over Hull City.

At the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, playmaker David Silva made his return from an injury while both back-up strikers Wilfried Bony and Kelechi Iheanacho were on target in the win.

"The most important thing was to qualify for the semi-final but after that it was important for David to have 80 minutes after a long injury," he said.

"It was important for Bony to have 65 minutes after a muscle injury and Kelechi a young player to score.

"I am very pleased because I think it was a difficult game against a good team that is at the top of the table in the Championship.

"More than that we played the third game in less than one week and we have a very good response from the team with different names."