Blues show why they’re the kings of Manchester
SPREAD the word: City are back.
After paying the respects that they could to club legend Colin Bell at an empty Old Trafford, Pep Guardiola’s side showed signs that the Kings of the Carabao are ready to conquer England again as they confirmed that Manchester is Blue.
As Ole Gunnar Solskjaer mulls a fourth consecutive semi-final defeat, goals from John Stones and Fernandinho mean City have their eyes set on a fourth consecutive Carabao Cup trophy.
With five consecutive victories and, more importantly and in spite of a thoroughly depleted squad, a return to the style of performance that has won them Premier League titles, it won’t just be April’s final that gives serial winner Guardiola reason for a glint in his eye.
It is almost exactly a year to the day since City arrived at Old Trafford for a Carabao Cup semi-final and simply outclassed United, the defining moment of the gulf in class when Kevin de Bruyne left Phil Jones on the floor before Andreas Pereira put through his own net.
Saying a lot can change in 12 months feels like the understatement of the millennium given the ongoing catastrophe across the world, but this felt like it had the potential to be a defining moment in the city rivalry.
After years of City dominance, United are ahead of them in the league and have had the better of them in most of the recent meetings.
Guardiola made a couple of changes to reflect that, with Fernandinho picked over Rodri to add to the midfield momentum while Phil Foden was given Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s side in light of Raheem Sterling’s struggles against the right-back in the past.
There was more excitement in the first five minutes than the entire 90 of the last derby, showing the improvement in both sides over the past month. Each team pressed the other high up the pitch and each team looked to break out of that high press into the space left behind in a welcome abandon of the safety-first approach that has characterised much of City’s season to date.
There was more risk, but more reward. I Ilkay Gundogan and Foden had efforts ruled out for offside in an entertaining first 30 minutes while De Bruyne was unfortunate to see the ball come back off the post.
If the Blues dominated possession, United more than made it a game with Zack Steffen forced into a good save and the hosts also having an early goal ruled out by the flag.
It wasn’t perfect from City but it was the type of hungry, committed performance that typified their back-toback title-winning campaign and who better to combine for the opening goal than Stones and Foden.
It is testament to how far Foden has co come in this team that De Bruyne all allowed him to take a free-kick from the lef left five minutes into the second half, wh while there have been few City stories
this season better than the resurgence of Stones.
To show such quality consistently after pretty much two years in the wilderness takes outstanding character as well as ability and scoring his first goal since November 2017 was the latest high point in a season of them.
The reason City were able to win by such a slender margin had a lot to do with Stones and his partner Ruben Dias.
It is almost alarming how Dias manages to be in the right place to clear danger so often, putting his body on the line time and time again to direct the ball away from the box.
Minutes after his goal, Stones was haring back to dispossess Paul Pogba and end a United counter in an example of his soaring confidence levels.
Every starter needed to put in one hell of a shift because the cavalry never looked like it could be utilised. Having pleaded for five substitutes all season season, Guardiola reacted to the introduction of them at this stage of the competition by using precisely one and, on this occasion, it wasn’t difficult to see why.
Two-thirds of City’s bench were defensively minded, and a third of them academy players bumped up to help deal with the Covid crisis.
Sergio Aguero still isn’t fit and Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker have barely trained after their absence through Covid, so the only recognised member of the squad that could feasibly have been brought on with Rodri. With City playing so well, there was little need to introduce him before the 79th minute.
Five minutes later, Fernandinho topped off an outstanding performance to volley in a second goal and confirm another City trip to Wembley.
Another three positive tests confirmed on the day of the game sidelined another two members of the squad, making the manager’s point for him that they may have enough players to get through one or two games but have to seriously hope that their absent stars recover quickly.
Yet the response to the two dismal draws last month has been outstanding as the available players have clubbed together and rediscovered the tempo that makes them so irrepressible.
Beating Solskjaer’s team here to make another final at the ground where they last lost a League Cup match more than four years ago is the cherry on a cake that is looking more sumptuous by the week.
Where they left Old Trafford in December with serious questions, the last few weeks have shown how convincingly they have answered them. United have rarely looked stronger during Guardiola’s time at the club and yet it is still the Blues who reign supreme in Manchester.