Kaizer Chiefs reax

Mark Hughes:

"It was a pleasing result, it's always nice to win and I thought it was a good test because the Chiefs were a month into their preparations for their new season. Some of our guys have only had four days rather than four weeks, and that was a concern before the game.

"I thought we acquitted ourselves very well, there were a lot of plusses. Gareth Barry looked really assured, as I expected him to be. He recognised danger and nipped things in the bud quickly, and we had two young guys at the back that enjoyed the experience and looked very accomplished."

Ian Herbert, The Independent

'Barry provided as much industry on his debut in a City shirt as any of his team-mates, with a booking to go with several runs into the Kaizer Chiefs penalty area before making way for another debutant, Javan Vidal, City's England Under-20 international. The local fans provided considerably more colour than City – their gestures to their own bench that the chairman's son Kaizer Motaung Jnr be substituted were resisted by the Chiefs' Serbian coach Vladimir Vermezovic, despite the player side-footing a gilt-edged chance wide nine minutes from time.'

Chris Wheeler, The Daily Mail

But it was the appearance of Felipe Caicedo and Kelvin Etuhu in place of any of the strikers Hughes has paid more than £110million to sign over the last 12 months that will have left fans most disappointed.

It was a bit like a tourist who heads for South Africa's game parks in search of lions, elephants, leopards, buffalos and rhinos but instead has to make do with a deer.

That will be of little concern to Hughes, who maintains that his job is to get the team ready for August 15, when City go to Blackburn on the opening day of the season. He could also point out that United had more than a few fringe players on show when they won this tournament last summer.

Victory can be a powerful argument, and a 1-0 win over the Chiefs at least fended off stronger criticism of the City manager's team selection following Saturday's defeat by Orlando Pirates in Polokwane.