Spain Under-21 midfielder Diaz scored his first senior goal for the club after 18 minutes and added his second in the 65th to secure a place in the next round away to Leicester City or Southampton, who play their rescheduled tie on November 27. The one worrying note for City, which made 10 changes from Monday’s Premier League win at Tottenham Hotspur, was the injury to De Bruyne who had to come off late on nursing his left knee after tangling with Fulham’s Timothy Fosu-Mensah.
The 19-year-old Diaz had put City ahead with a shot that deflected off Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic past keeper Sergio Rico after Vincent Kompany had kneed the ball down. Diaz, making his 14th City appearance and his third start in all competitions, doubled the lead by firing high into the net after Gabriel Jesus saw his shot turned onto the post by Rico.
De Bruyne, who has only just returned from an injury to his right knee, got caught up with Fosu-Mensah near the corner flag in the 86th minute and the Fulham defender fell heavily on the Belgian international who tried to carry on, but had to go off. City must wait to find out its quarter-final opponent after Leicester’s game with Southampton on Tuesday was postponed following the death of the club’s owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium on October 27.
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