Man City into Cup semifinals
LEICESTER: On a tumultuous day for beleaguered Manchester United, crosstown rival Manchester City advanced to the English League Cup semifinals to stay in the hunt for trophies on four fronts this season.
Holder City beat Leicester 31 in a penalty shootout yesterday to stay on course to retain the title and give Pep Guardiola another piece of silverware, hours after his great managerial rival Jose Mourinho was fired by
United.
City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko fired home the winner in the shootout after Leicester missed three of its four spot kicks.
City had taken the lead through Kevin De Bruyne’s rifled finish early in the match but Leicester clawed its way back into the encounter with a brilliant finish from Marc Albrighton.
With no extra time in League Cup matches this season, the game went straight to penalties when Leicester’s Christian Fuchs, James Maddison and Caglar Soyuncu all failed to score.
Leicester boss Claude Puel, who left England striker Jamie Vardy out of his squad, ultim ately suffered another missed opportunity against a secondstring City lineup.
Having lost on penalties in the quarterfinal to Guardiola’s side last season, the Foxes suffered a repeat in a competition the club was desperate to win following the death of owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in October.
City was surprisingly joined in the semifinals by thirdtier Burton Albion, which won 10 at secondtier Middlesbrough to keep alive its fairytale run in the competition.
Burton became the first team from League One to reach the last four of the League Cup since Sheffield United did so under manager Nigel Clough in 201415. Clough now coaches Burton.
Jake Hesketh, on loan from Southampton, scored the only goal at the Riverside Stadium three minutes into the second half.
Albion, which is sitting in 15th place in the thirdtier competition, was relegated from the Championship last season.
In today’s quarterfinal matches, Tottenham was to host north London rival Arsenal and Chelsea was to be at home to Bournemouth. — AP