Manchester City dominate United at Old Trafford to reach League Cup final in search of 4th successive triumph
Manchester City beat Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford to reach League Cup final and a possible 4th successive triumph.
Last Updated: January 7, 2021 2:23 pm
Pep Guardiola will face off against old nemesis Jose Mourinho, after Manchester City won 2-0 at Old Trafford to reach the League Cup final.
A half of offside strikes
Opting to continue without an out-and-out striker despite having both Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero on the bench, Pep Guardiola tasked Riyad Mahrez with the job that Kevin de Bruyne had taken up over the weekend. The Belgian scored in a 3-1 win over Chelsea, but was returned to his natural attacking midfield position for tonight’s trip to Old Trafford.
The Manchester derby got off to a bizarre start, after Manchester City’s blushed were spared by the offside flag, following what looked set to be an own goal netted by the Citizens.
Then it was the visitors’ turn to have a goal ruled out for offside. Phil Foden played in Ilkay Gundogan, who guided an effort past Dean Henderson. The German international, though, was a foot beyond the last United defender. A promising start to a fixture which played out into a drab 0-0 draw on the last occasion the two sides met.
Bruno Fernandes had a curling effort, heading for the top-right corner, well saved by American goalkeeper Zack Steffen. De Bruyne, meanwhile, though not in a striking role, was still threatening, and had a long range effort strike the United post.
Great save!
Zack Steffen gets up to tip Bruno Fernandes’ curling effort over the bar
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A third offside goal would follow a slight dip in the intensity of the clash in the 23rd. Foden was played in down the left, before attacking the United box, and putting the ball between Henderson’s legs. The England international was deemed, however, to have been offside upon receiving the ball. This proved to be the best chance before the break.
City come out on top
The second-half kicked off brilliantly for the travelling City side. A free-kick from the left was swung in by Phil Foden, with the ball having made its way to the back post, where John Stones was on hand to tuck home his first goal in more than 3 years. The game’s opener sparked a period of dominance on the part of City, who also saw Joao Cancelo fire just over Henderson’s crossbar.
Super Stones 💪
The Man City defender is quickest to react Pep Guardiola’s side lead at Old Trafford
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— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 6, 2021
Any time that United attempted to press forward, the threat of a Sky Blues counter attack gave rise to tension, which cost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in the final third. Sterling’s header towards goal was well saved by Henderson, before a curling ball across the box was missed by the outstretched Foden.
Mahrez then had a brilliant bending strike also kept out by Henderson. The Algerian drove at the home side’s back line, before moving left and forcing the save from the man who spent an impressive year with Sheffield United last season.
United attempted to create, but were majorly limited by the constant pressing of Guardiola’s side. Bruno Fernandes took aim with multiple long-range efforts in search of an equaliser, but to no avail.
The game was then clinched in the second-half, as United could only clear a corner to the edge of their box, where Brazilian Fernandinho was waiting to strike a first time effort into the bottom left hand corner.
What a strike!
Fernandinho looks like he has sealed the deal for Man City
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— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 6, 2021
Victory for City guides them through to yet another League Cup final, as the Citizens go in search of a 4th successive triumph in the competition. They will take on Spurs in the competition’s showpiece, after the north Londoners beat Brentford 2-0 on Tuesday.
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This article was edited by Conor Laird.
Football Live streaming: Featured matches on January 17, 2020
| Game | Time | Predicted Score | Live Score Prediction/Live Score | How to Watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Manchester City FC vs Crystal Palace FC | 25' | 2-0 | 0-0 |
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester United FC | 17 | 10 | 36 |
| 2 | Leicester City FC | 18 | 12 | 35 |
| 3 | Liverpool FC | 17 | 16 | 33 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 18 | 16 | 33 |
| 5 | Manchester City FC | 16 | 12 | 32 |
| 6 | Everton FC | 17 | 7 | 32 |
| 7 | Chelsea FC | 18 | 12 | 29 |
| 8 | Southampton FC | 18 | 5 | 29 |
| 9 | West Ham United FC | 18 | 4 | 29 |
| 10 | Aston Villa FC | 15 | 13 | 26 |
| 11 | Arsenal FC | 18 | 1 | 24 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 18 | -4 | 23 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 18 | -7 | 23 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 19 | -8 | 22 |
| 15 | Newcastle United FC | 17 | -9 | 19 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 19 | -7 | 17 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 17 | -13 | 16 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 17 | -11 | 12 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 18 | -27 | 11 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 19 | -22 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 11 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 8 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 6 |
| Abraham, Tammy | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 5 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 5 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 6 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 5 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dunk, Lewis | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 4 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 5 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 5 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 5 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 4 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 4 |
| Tielemans, Youri | Leicester City FC | 0 | 4 |
| Klich, Mateusz | Leeds United | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| Adams, Che | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 4 |
| Chilwell, Benjamin | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 4 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 3 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 3 |
