Robins star defiant after cruel blow of Aguero’s late winner
BOBBY REID insists Bristol City can still send another Manchester giant spinning out of the Cup despite Pep Guardiola’s stars dishing out a cruel injury-time blow.
The Robins midfielder had the near 8000 away fans raising the Etihad roof at half-time after his penalty gave the Championship outfit a deserved first-half lead.
Even after Kevin de Bruyne struck a beautiful equaliser early in the second half Lee Johnson’s team did not wilt or sit in with a Wembley final on offer.
And they certainly did not deserve to see sub Sergio Aguero head an added-time winner.
Just as their quarter-final win over Man United was merited, Bristol earned a puncher’s chance in the January 23 return leg.
Reid said: “We are still in the game and our fans will be right behind us at Ashton Gate. We gave it our all and just came up short. We beat Manchester United and we have a chance.
“We have to take it to them. It gives us great confidence going a goal ahead and holding on for so long.”
City’s starting line-up may have cost a meagre £7million to the £360m one put out by Guardiola but that’s where the gulf between the sides ended.
Johnson said: “They’ve shown the world we’re good footballers.
“They showed confidence and weren’t frightened to be on the ball. Pep said to me we played better than most of the Premier League teams that come to Man City. We will take an awful lot from it and learn a lot. It is not over. It will be an interesting game at Ashton Gate.”
Guardiola is desperate to make a Wembley showpiece having stressed the need to follow up beauty with baubles.
Yet he still chose to hand an unfamiliar false No.9 role to Raheem Sterling – and he took the false part seriously.
Indeed, for a long while it was a toss-up which City pressed best as Bristol sensed the vulnerability of a John Stones Eliaquim Mangala partnership.
That paid off just before the interval when Mangala donated possession to Josh Brownhill whose pass put Reid in the clear.
Stones gave ref Anthony Taylor a no-brainer with his late challenge on Reid who then tucked away the spot-kick.
Man City have shown a habit of second-half improvement and so it proved with the man who inspired it coming as no surprise.
Stand-in skipper de Bruyne took the ball off Claudio Bravo and scuttled forward before exchanging passes with Sterling then rifling home the leveller.
Johnson could only shake his head and smile at the class his men were having to cope with.
But not only did they cope, they continued to show the sort of adventure on the break that means the tie isn’t a formality.
The fact Aguero nodded home Bernardo Silva’s cross will make it all the more trickier though.
Guardiola, who hailed his men for not giving up, said: “I said congratulations to Lee – they’re a fantastic team for many reasons. They can play, they are fast, they know exactly what to do. It will be tough in Bristol.” ARSENE WENGER has stoked up his war of words with Antonio Conte by branding Chelsea star Eden Hazard a penalty cheat.
Conte labelled Wenger an “old coach” whose “way was to blame” refs after the Arsenal boss was angered by a penalty award for a foul on Hazard in last week’s Premier League 2-2 draw.
And Wenger couldn’t resist a pop back at a manager 20 years his junior on the eve of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
The 68-year-old said: “Am I an old coach? Yes. He’s not a young coach, he’s an old coach as well.
“Is it my way to question Hazard? No, I didn’t blame Hazard. I didn’t question Hazard, I questioned the decision of the referee. OK. Then we are objective.
“You look at the picture – you see how Hazard goes down and how quickly he takes the penalty when he gets it. If he was so injured why did he take the penalty?
“He made more of it. I can understand that. I do not blame Hazard.
“He acted in a very professional way to get the penalty for his team.”
Alexis Sanchez is set to start despite Wenger refusing to confirm whether he’ll stay amid Manchester City’s attempts to sign the Chilean.
City have made contact with Arsenal and are ready to make a £20million bid but the Gunners want closer to £30m.
Alex Iwobi is likely to be dropped after Wenger said he will fine the midfielder if he’s found to have partied until the early hours of Saturday ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest.