MANCHESTER: Another English League Cup final for Manchester City. Another painful semi-final loss for Manchester United.
City beat fierce rivals United 2-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday thanks to second-half goals by John Stones and Fernandinho, setting up a meeting with Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup final at Wembley Stadium on April 25.
For City manager Pep Guardiola, that means another head-to-head with long-time coaching adversary Jose Mourinho, who is looking to end Tottenham’s 13-year trophy drought.
City have no such issues. They have a chance for a fourth straight title and a sixth in eight seasons in a competition which the team has virtually made its own.
“We achieved something incredible,” Guardiola said. “I know the League Cup is not the Champions League, but four times in a row reaching the final is impressive.”
In a frantic opening to the game, both teams had efforts ruled out for offside with Stones turning the ball into his own net but being saved by the flag and Ilkay Gundogan converting a low ball in from Phil Foden but, again, the attempt was rightly ruled out.
Kevin De Bruyne struck the post with a thundering drive from outside the box before Foden also put the ball in the net for City but the visitors were foiled by offside once again.
It was an open and entertaining game with City looking sharper but United competitive as they sought revenge for last year’s defeat by their neighbours at the same stage of the competition.
City went ahead five minutes after the break when Foden whipped in a free kick from the left through a crowded box and defender Stones bundled a cross home at the back post, the ball going in off his thigh.
United keeper Dean Henderson produced a brilliant save to tip over a strike from Riyad Mahrez, after the Algerian had burst forward from the halfway line.
Fernandinho made sure of the win seven minutes from time with a stunning volley as he pounced on a headed clearance from Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
United have now lost at the semi-final stage in their last four Cup campaigns, leaving manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still searching for his first final since taking over at the club.
“We’re getting closer. This is a much better version of United than a year ago in those semis,” said the Norwegian.
“It’s not psychological, sometimes you meet good teams in the semis. City are probably the best team in England at the moment,” he added.
Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2021