Bristol City’s good start to season continues with Carabao Cup defeat of MK Dons

A goal in each half from Jason Knight and Yu Hirakawa gave Bristol City a 2-0 win over MK Dons in the Carabao Cup first round.

City – who won their Championship opener 4-1 at Sheffield United – took just six minutes to take the lead against their League Two opponents with skipper Knight’s near post header from a Scott Twine corner looping in via a deflection.

The Dons created their first clear chance in the 29th minute when an unmarked Will Collar mistimed his header from a Connor Lemonheigh-Evans cross and saw the ball sail over.

Lemonheigh-Evans shot wide from the corner of the box, before the hosts threatened with Rob Dickie’s header over the bar from Twine’s 41st-minute free-kick.

Substitute Emil Riis had a 50th-minute shot from Knight’s through-ball blocked, before more brave Dons defending denied Mark Sykes soon after.

It was 2-0 in the 61st minute when substitute Hirakawa controlled Twine’s chip from the right to the far post and cut inside to find the roof of the net with a fierce right-footed drive from 10 yards.

Substitute Josh Stokes struck the bar from 25 yards and another replacement, Sinclair Armstrong, twice went close in the final minutes – but another goal would have been harsh on the visitors.