Cherki pulls out Haaland celebrations after wonder goal in Man City's win in the English League Cup

Rayan Cherki recreated teammate Erling Haaland's goal celebrations after curling an exquisite shot into the top corner in Manchester City's 2-0 win over Brentford in the English League Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday.

The France playmaker pulled out some robot moves and then sat down cross-legged in a yoga pose after giving a much-changed City team a 32nd-minute lead.

With his tricks, skills and wonderful technique, Cherki is already proving a fans' favorite in his first season in Manchester after moving from Lyon. In a win over Sunderland this month, he produced a “rabona” cross that was headed in by Phil Foden but left City manager Pep Guardiola urging Cherki to play with “simplicity” like Lionel Messi.

The goal against Brentford was one Messi would have been proud of. Collecting a headed clearance at the edge of the box, Cherki deceived an opponent by switching the ball to his right foot and then whipped a shot into the top corner.

Savinho added a second goal for City in the 67th minute with a shot that was aided by a huge deflection that looped over Brentford goalkeeper Hákon Valdimarsson.

Haaland was named as a substitute for the game, didn't come on, and was seen shaking the hand of Cherki when the midfielder was replaced in the second half.

City advanced to the last four of the League Cup for the first time since 2021, the year it won the competition for the fourth straight season and the eighth time overall.

Its opponent in the semifinals will be defending champion Newcastle, which scored a stoppage-time goal to beat Fulham 2-1 on Tuesday.

Chelsea will play either Arsenal or Crystal Palace in the other matchup in the semifinals.

Miley glanced home a header from a corner in the second minute of added-on time for Newcastle, just as the game seemed destined for a penalty shootout.

Yoane Wissa, recently back from a long-term injury, put Newcastle ahead in the 10th minute with his first goal since a summer move from Brentford. Saša Lukić equalized for Fulham in the 16th.

Newcastle is already stretched defensively because of injuries — Miley, a midfielder, was playing as an emergency right back against Fulham — and lost full back Tino Livramento to a knee problem midway through the second half.

“It doesn’t look good," Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said. “The fact he came off is a worrying sign and we’re so stretched in that area.”

Chelsea beat third-tier Cardiff City 3-1 on Tuesday to become the first team to reach the semifinals.

The quarterfinals will wrap up next week when Arsenal hosts Palace on Tuesday.

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Fulham's Raul Jimenez, left, and Newcastle United's Tino Livramento battle for the ball during the English League Cup quarter final soccer match between Newcastle and Fulham in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Manchester City's Rayan Cherki during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester City and Brentford in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland warms up before the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester City and Brentford n Manchester, England, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester City's Rayan Cherki celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester City and Brentford in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester City's Rayan Cherki scores his side's first goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester City and Brentford in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester City's Rayan Cherki celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester City and Brentford in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Government forces in Burkina Faso killed over twice as many civilians as militant jihadist groups over a two-year period, according to a study by Human Rights Watch, which accused both sides of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

According to the report, of the 1,837 civilians killed in the country between January 2023 and August 2025, more than 1,200 were the result of government forces. Over 2 million people are estimated to have been displaced since the conflict began, according to the United Nations.

Ilaria Allegrozzi, the senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch, told The Associated Press that the reported death toll was “most likely a gross undercount because most instances go unreported.”

The Burkina Faso authorities did not respond to requests for comment.

Human Rights Watch says that under President Ibrahim Traoré, the Burkina Faso junta has carried out “a broad crackdown” on political opposition, peaceful dissent and independent media, “fostering an atmosphere of terror and severely restricting the flow of information about the conflict and its toll.”

The landlocked nation of 23 million people has symbolized the security crisis in the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert in recent years. It has been shaken by violence from extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, and the governments fighting them. The Sahel is the world's deadliest region for extremism, according to the Global Terrorism Index.

Abuses by government forces in Burkina Faso as well as militants from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) — an Al-Qaeda aligned militant group operating in the region — amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said.

“These atrocities, including the government’s ethnic cleansing of Fulani civilians, amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity for which senior leaders on all sides may be liable,” the 316-page report said.

In one attack detailed in the report, government forces are alleged to have executed 223 civilians, including at least 56 children, accusing them of collaborating with JNIM in the northern Yatenga province in early 2024. In a separate attack the same year, JNIM are said to have killed at least 133 civilians, including dozens of children, in the center of the county.

The targeting of civilians, particularly those of the Fulani ethnic group, appears to be the de facto policy of the Burkina Faso government, according to the rights group, with reprisal attacks against villages accused of collaborating with JNIM being common due to the group's perceived loyalty to militant groups.

“The highest levels of government appear supportive of military action against Fulani people based on these attitudes,” said the report, adding that it is not possible to get an accurate picture of the situation in the country since the military leadership has installed a system of de facto censorship. Those who do speak out risk being abducted, imprisoned or drafted into the army.

The military junta, which took power in 2022, has failed to provide the stability it promised. According to conservative estimates, more than 60% of the country is now outside of government control, more than 2.1 million people have lost their homes and almost 6.5 million need humanitarian aid to survive.

Conflict monitoring group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data estimates that least 10,600 civilians have been killed since 2016.

FILE - In this photo provided by RIA Novosti, Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore arrives at the Grand Palace at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 10, 2025. (Stanislav Krasilnikov/RIA Novosti via AP, file)