Foden’s goal helps City, Spurs get bye
LONDON: Holders Manchester City needed a Phil Foden goal 15 minutes from time to see off Bournemouth 2-1 and reach the fourth round of the League Cup, while Liverpool ran riot in a 7-2 win at Lincoln on Thursday.
City have won the competition for the past three years, but Pep Guardiola admitted he had been forced to name a youthful side to prioritise their Premier League campaign due to a shortened pre-season and a series of positive coronavirus tests.
Liam Delap, son of former Stoke midfielder Rory Delap, took just 18 minutes to score on his City debut with a fine finish into the top corner from Foden’s pass.
“He’s a different striker to what we have in terms of physicality. We see in training how good a finisher he is,” said Guardiola of the 17-year-old.
However, the lead lasted just four minutes as Bournemouth’s Sam Sturridge spun inside the City box before firing into the far corner.
Guardiola introduced the artillery he had on the bench after half-time in Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling, but it was another first-team regular in Foden who made the breakthrough.
City will travel to Burnley in the last 16.
Liverpool will face Arsenal twice at Anfield in three days next week after Juergen Klopp’s much-changed side hit Lincoln for seven with Takumi Minamino and Curtis Jones both scoring twice.
Meanwhile, Tottenham were yesterday awarded a bye into the fourth round of the League Cup after Tuesday’s tie with Leyton Orient was called off following a spate of coronavirus cases at the League Two club.
Fourth-tier Orient tried to rearrange the game but League Cup rules mean that they must forfeit the tie, allowing Spurs to go through to play Chelsea.