BRING ON PEP
Bristol sink Jose... now it’s a tale of two Cities in semi
IT was a tale of two cities last night, as Bristol City sensationally dumped Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup with a 2-1 triumph — then drew Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in next month’s semi-final.
Korey Smith’s brilliant injury-time winner for the Championship team sparked wild scenes at Ashton Gate to KO Jose Mourinho.
‘At times we looked like the Premier League side,’ said jubilant City manager Lee Johnson. ‘These boys will go down in folklore.’
Match-winner Smith added: ‘It’s unbelievable, I don’t know what to say. We played brilliantly — like we have all season.’
At Stamford Bridge, Bournemouth equalised on 90 minutes through Dan Gosling but Alvaro Morata’s injury-time goal earned Chelsea a semi-final with Arsenal, who beat them in last season’s FA Cup final.
KOREY SMITH was buried beneath his team- mates in one corner of the pitch while Bristol City’s young manager Lee Johnson sprinted down the opposite touchline, fists clenched in celebration, before hurling himself into the arms of his coaching staff.
A relative sense of order was restored for the few moments play that remained before Mike Dean’s whistle started the pandemonium all over again. It took another 20 minutes to clear the pitch of fans who could barely believe what they had just seen.
What a moment. What a night. It was 1980 when these clubs last met and they will be talking about this win in the West Country for another 37 years. The night they took on Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku — and sent them packing.
Manchester United’s stars disappeared down the tunnel leaving the wonderful chaos behind them. The cup holders are out and deservedly so. You have to give credit to their conquerors from the Championship, a team who have now taken four Premier League scalps this season after knocking out Watford, Stoke and Crystal Palace in the earlier rounds.
City have scored 11 goals in the process. This was no fluke and that is what will trouble Jose Mourinho most this morning.
Yes, he did make 10 changes from Sunday’s win at West Bromwich, but he had enough good players at his disposal to get the job done.
A day that began with United’s charter flight being diverted to Cardiff due to fog ended with them losing their way in a competition he has won four times. Not this year. Instead, it will be Bristol City who face Manchester City in the semi- final, not United. Given recent tensions in Manchester, maybe that’s not a bad thing.
We were preparing for extra-time and the possibility of penalties when the game entered the third minute of added time.
Matty Taylor lifted the ball over the top of the United defence and Smith controlled it on his chest before turning to goal. Sergio Romero dashed off his line to try to narrow the angle, but it was no good. Smith volleyed the ball beyond United’s reserve goalkeeper and into the net.
Ashton Gate erupted. Johnson sprinted down the line like a younger Mourinho. He knew it was all over. It was no more than his team deserved, either. City were excellent from the start as they took the game to United and showed scant regard for their opponents’ reputations, notably Pogba and Ibrahimovic.
Romero was not exempt, either, with Aden Flint, Bobby Reid and Jamie Paterson taking it in turns to harangue the keeper every time he tried to punt the ball downfield. Pogba, in particular, was fortunate on his return from a three-match ban that Dean did not have a better view of an ugly, high challenge on Nathan Baker in the first half.
Ibrahimovic, United’s captain for the night on his first start since rupturing a cruciate ligament in April, looked well short of match fitness and was targeted by the home fans.
The Swede went close to an opening goal when he met Anthony Martial’s cross to the far post with a volley into the ground that took a nick off Baker before clipping the bar.
Marcus Rashford also hit the foot of the post with a fine effort from the edge of the box as a disjointed United managed to create the better chances before half time.
But Romero was forced to beat away efforts from Josh Brownhill and Hordur Magnusson, while only a fantastic, last-ditch tackle from Daley Blind to touch the ball off Smith’s toes stopped City’s hero from scoring earlier than he did.
The home side made the breakthrough in stunning fashion in the 51st minute as they broke on United again. Marlon Pack released Joe Bryan down the left with a clever reverse pass and City’s gifted No 3 galloped after it. Still, it looked to have taken Bryan too wide of the target and he seemed more likely to attempt a cross to the far post.
Instead, he caught United cold with a spectacular shot that flashed past Romero and into the top corner before the Argentine could react.
It was a wonderful goal on City’s big night.
United’s response was instant. Martial’s dribble gave Ibrahimovic possession 35 yards from goal and the Swede was ridiculed as he sent a wild shot out of play for a throw-in on the other side of the pitch.
It was probably not a wise move by the home fans and they paid for it moments later when the veteran striker showed that he is still a threat at 36 and half-fit. Pogba was fouled 20 yards out and Ibrahimovic lashed a free-kick through the wall, taking a slight deflection on its way past Luke Steele into the bottom corner.
Mourinho sent on Lukaku and Henrikh Mkhitaryan for a rare run- out but it was Smith who came up with the decisive goal.
Cue bedlam in Bristol. BRISTOL CITY (4-4-1-1): Steele 7; Wright 7, Flint 7, Baker 7, Magnusson 7 (Taylor 69min, 6); Brownhill 7 (Eliasson 74, 6), Smith 7, Pack 7.5, BRYAN 8.5; Paterson 7; Reid 8.
Subs not used: Fielding, Kelly, Vyner, Garita, Lemonheigh-Evans. Booked: Paterson, Taylor. Scorers: Bryan 51, Smith 90+3.
Manager: Lee Johnson 7.5. MANCHESTER UNITED (4-3-3): Romero 6; Darmian 5 (Smalling 90), Lindelof 6.5, Rojo 6.5, Shaw 6; McTominay 6, Blind 6 (Lukaku 61, 7), Pogba 6.5; Rashford 7, Ibrahimovic 7 (Mkhitaryan 69, 6), Martial 6.
Subs not used: Pereira, Herrera, Lingard, Mata. Scorer: Ibrahimovic 58. Booked: Rashford, Pogba. Manager: Jose Mourinho 6. Referee: Mike Dean 6. Attendance: 26,088.