Carabao Cup
CITY WIN BATTLE OF MANCHESTER TO REACH LEAGUE CUP FINAL
Manchester City reached the League Cup final for fourth consecutive season as they inflicted more semi-final pain on Manchester United with a 2-0 win at Old Trafford on Wednesday (Jan 6).
John Stones and Fernandinho were the unlikely goalscorers for Pep Guardiola’s men, who will face Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham in the final at Wembley on April 25.
Mourinho was United boss the last time they lifted a trophy in 2017 and the Red Devils wait for silverware under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer goes on as they lost a fourth semi-final in the past two seasons.
City great Colin Bell was remembered before kick-off after he died, aged 74, on Tuesday with his former teammate Mike Summerbee reduced to tears as he watched on from the stands.
Both sides have hauled themselves back into contention for the Premier League title in recent weeks, but neither manager took the opportunity to rest key players as both made just two changes from the weekend.
Guardiola’s options were limited by an ongoing coronavirus outbreak as the club announced another three positive cases on Wednesday.
But Kyle Walker and Gabriel Jesus made their return from a 10-day isolation on the bench.
Any fears of a repeat of the goalless draw between the sides last month in the league were quickly dispelled as both had goals ruled out inside the first five minutes.
Stones breathed a sigh of relief that Marcus Rashford was flagged for offside after the ball rebounded off the defender and into the net after Rashford’s initial effort was saved by Zack Steffen.
At the other end Ilkay Gundogan thought he had continued his fine goalscoring form of late when he swept home Phil Foden’s cross, but the German was also offside.
Steffen was deputising for Ederson, who was one of City’s absentees due to Covid-19, and the American produced an incredible save to deny Bruno Fernandes his 16th goal of the season with a curling effort that was destined for the top corner.
City looked more like their old selves in a thrilling first-half performance to blow away Chelsea on Sunday and they were inches away from the opener thanks to a stunning move that started deep inside their own half and ended with Kevin De Bruyne smashing against the post from the edge of the area.
Foden saw a third goal of the opening half ruled out for offside, while Ruben Dias produced a goal-saving block to deny Rashford’s fierce strike as the game raged from one end to the other.
The deadlock was finally broken five minutes into the second-half when Stones cushioned in Foden’s free-kick with his thigh for his first goal in three years.
The England international’s poor form saw him fall down the pecking order in recent seasons, but City have now kept nine clean sheets in the 11 games Stones has started this season as he has formed a formidable partnership with Dias.
City’s issues this season have been at the other end and they again failed to make the most of their chances in the second-half.
Joao Cancelo’s piledriver flew just over before Dean Henderson made fine saves to deny Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez.
However, Henderson was could only watch as Fernandinho volleyed into the bottom corner after United failed to clear a corner for his first goal in two years.
-AFP
Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen all scored twice as the Old Trafford side roared into the last 16 of the League Cup with a 7-0 rout of third-tier Barnsley on Tuesday.
United were joined in the fourth round by fellow Premier League sides Brentford, who beat third-tier Leyton Orient 3-1, and Crystal Palace after they edged Queen’s Park Rangers 2-1.
Top flight Fulham were knocked out in extraordinary fashion by second-tier Preston North End after the match ended 1-1 — the home side prevailing 16-15 in a 34-penalty shootout, the longest-ever in the competition.
United manager Erik Ten Hag has endured a rocky time since taking over in 2022 but enjoyed the biggest win of his reign.
England forward Rashford ended a six-month goal drought at the weekend when he scored against Southampton in the Premier League and needed only 16 minutes to strike against Barnsley.
His silky finish high into the net paved the way for United to demolish Barnsley who were no match for Ten Hag’s side.
Antony added the second from the penalty spot in the 35th minute and Garnacho poked home United’s third in first-half stoppage time to put the hosts in complete control.
Garnacho side-footed his second from Rashford’s pass just after the restart and returned the compliment as Rashford made it 5-0. Eriksen scored his first United goal for more than a year in the 81st minute, slotting in Bruno Fernandes’s cross.
Eriksen then fired in from the edge of the area to complete United’s biggest-ever League Cup win and their biggest margin of victory since Ten Hag took charge in 2022.
United’s previous biggest wins under the Dutchman were 4-1 defeats of Real Betis and Chelsea.
“Football is football. Sometimes you have ups and sometimes downs, but we have to use these games to get momentum and consistency,” Rashford said.
Ten Hag added: “I thought the first goal from Marcus was really good, but so were the rest. We played with a lot of speed and were ruthless in front of goal. The key was the right attitude and to be 100% concentrated.”
BASEMENT BATTLE
The Premier League’s bottom two clubs met at Goodison Park and there was more woe for Everton as they bowed out on penalties to Southampton after a 1-1 draw.
Abdoulaye Doucoure put Everton ahead but Southampton levelled through Taylor Harwood-Bellis and the visitors won 6-5 in the shootout. Eleven penalties hit the net before Ashley Young saw his effort saved by Alex McCarthy.
Brentford were given an early scare when Brandon Cooper put Orient in front but Fabio Carvalho equalised in acrobatic fashion. Mikel Damsgaard headed Brentford in front and Christian Norgaard ensured progress for Thomas Frank’s team.
Eddie Nketiah scored his first goal for Crystal Palace since moving from Arsenal and Eberechi Eze struck the winner against his old club Queen’s Park Rangers to send the visitors through.
Sheffield Wednesday won 1-0 at Blackpool, while Championship (second-tier) side Stoke City needed penalties to get past fourth-tier Fleetwood Town 2-1 after being held to a 1-1 draw.
The remaining third round ties will be played on Wednesday and next week, concluding with holders Liverpool at home fellow Premier League side West Ham United on Sept. 25.
-Reuters
Liverpool won the League Cup by beating Chelsea 1-0 through a late extra-time goal from captain Virgil van Dijk after a fierce end-to-end battle at Wembley on Sunday.
Dutchman Van Dijk rose to meet a corner in the 118th minute and nodded home in front of cheering Liverpool fans.
The two teams had numerous chances in the first 90 minutes.
Both sides had goals ruled out after long VAR checks, with Raheem Sterling’s first-half effort for Chelsea cancelled out because Nicolas Jackson was offside in the build-up while Van Dijk’s second-half header was disallowed for an infringement by Wataru Endo.
Both teams also hit the post, Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo in the first half and Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher in the second.
It was the third Cup victory for Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool over Chelsea in two years, the Reds winning the League and FA Cups in 2022 after goalless draws and penalty shootouts.
-Reuters
Winning the League Cup would be a crucial addition to the final segment of a memoir with Liverpool, the soon-to-depart manager Juergen Klopp said before his side’s final match against Chelsea.
Klopp has announced his decision to step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season, citing dwindling energy levels.
The 56-year-old, who is the only Liverpool manager to win six different major trophies, would dedicate the victory to everyone connected to the Merseyside club as part of his trophy-laden nine-year epoch.
“I want to win on Sunday but not for me or my trophy cabinet,” Klopp said of the League Cup final. “It is for the boys, for the club, for the people. That is much more important.
“We wrote, and we are still writing, a wonderful book, and when I leave we close that book and put it on the shelf and then someone else will write a wonderful book.
“Yes, there is space for some chapters. It is long. I am not there and writing the resume already? Not at all. I am 100% in trying to create a few special memories on top of what we have done.”
Klopp’s side have a lengthy injury list that could hinder their chances of securing a record-extending 10th League Cup triumph at Wembley, with the likes of Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson and Curtis Jones sidelined and forwards Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai doubtful for Sunday.
Liverpool’s most recent triumph came in the 2021-22 campaign when they also lifted the FA Cup, and narrowly missed securing a treble as they finished second in the Premier League.
-Reuters
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