MAN UTD.....0 MAN CITY.....2
Pep’s men conquer United and set up final with Spurs
AND so it i s Pep Guardiola versus Jose Mourinho, at Wembley. For the least significant of the cup competitions, the Carabao Cup does seem to rally some marquee names to its cause.
This will be Manchester City’s fourth consecutive appearance in the final, matching the record set by Liverpool between 1981 and 1984.
Guardiola has only ever lost two ties in the competition, too. Both against Manchester United. Not last night, mind.
City were the superior team here, even if their victory was built on unlikely foundations — a goal from John Stones.
It was 1,162 days since his last for the club — against Napoli in 2017 — and this one was bundled into goal off his thigh, a testament to determination more than any training-ground scheme.
Yet nobody in bl ue was complaining. The Carabao Cup may be fourth in any elite club’s wishlist, but all derby victories have meaning, certainly one that condemns Manchester United to a fourth straight semi-final defeat.
And bragging rights are bragging rights, whether the taunts come on the factory floor or, in these strange times, over Zoom.
It does not bode well for United’s title challenge that this team have got in the habit of losing the big ones, and any fear that City might not be able to hang on as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men searched f or an equaliser ended when Fernandinho made it two with seven minutes to go.
City won a corner, taken on the right by Kevin De Bruyne, and United spurned two chances to clear.
Anthony Martial’s clearing header didn’t quite get far enough, but at least it fell to a team-mate, Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Sadly for United, his header was absolutely dismal. Tame and short and straight to Fernandinho, who struck a low shot from outside the area.
It emerged through a crowd of players and left goalkeeper Dean Henderson flat-footed, still upright as it went in at his near post.
What a strange derby this has become. In the Manchester cl ubs’ s’ last 15 meetings, the e home team have won n just three times — but it is too easy to bl ame home disadvantage f or this reverse.
City simply look the better team right now, even without t conventional strikers, rs, another fact that should ould also concern thosee who think United will be major players in the title race.
They will have to raise their game from here, if that dream is to become reality.
At half-time it had been 2-1 to Manchester City. Sadly, this was in disallowed goals.
Everything correct and done properly by the officials, but a little infuriating gi ven t he instruction not to raise the flag until the ball is in the net.
Marginal calls, sure, but some of these were blindingly obvious and plainly visible in real time.
Yet play goes on with the threat of collision and injury, certainly in a no- qquarter-given derby, with a place at Wembley at stake. By the end oof the first 45 minutes, Guardiola was so fed up he could be heard berating fourth official David Coote on the subject. Understandably so. A move had ended with an absolutely ferocious 50- between Paul Pogba and Stones, which was met with winces around the stadium. Only then did a flag go up to signal offside against Marcus Rashford several phases before. Ridiculous. A player could have had his leg broken, and for what? We know the logic but, as ever, it is being applied without reason. Despite these frustrations, it was an excellent half. City had the best of it, but United were well-organised and absorbed their pressure impressively. There was one excellent opportunity at each end, even if neither set of forwards can claim to t r uly have breached t he defensive barriers.
Manchester United had two opportunities in the ninth minute, in fact — their first chance of the half, and their last.
It came after Raheem Sterling l ost possession and Scott McTominay fed Bruno Fernandes, who tried a shot from outside the area. Zack Steffen, in goal in place of Ederson, one of City’s Covid victims, tipped the ball wide acrobatically with one hand.
Shortly after, at the opposite end, Sterling set-up De Bruyne, whose s hot defeated Dean Henderson — another stand-in, this one out of choice, not necessity — but not the far post. The ball cannoned out to safety and United breathed a sigh of relief.
It was not the only time. City had the lion’s share of possession and looked the most dangerous side, even without a recognised striker.
Ilkay Gundogan had the ball in the net, as did Phil Foden, but neither legally, and for the most part City’s work was done with massed United ranks between them and goal.
McTominay and Fred were guarding, while Pogba was equally diligent, and getting the better of Fernandinho on occasions which resulted in a booking for the City man.
Yet, when the deadlock was broken, it was no surprise that it went to the team in sky blue. McTominay fouled Sterling, and De Bruyne and Foden stood over the free-kick.
City’s playmaker deferred to the younger man and he whipped in an excellent ball, that appeared to catch out Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof. Not Stones, though. He continued his run to the far post, and deflected the ball into the net.
United’s players were left to squabble about culpability, but it was no more than Manchester City deserved.
They were the better team and they should have made it two after 57 minutes, when an excellent counter-attack from deep in their own half saw Foden cross and Sterling steer his header towards the near post, where it was turned round for a corner by Henderson.
An aerial chance that fell to Anthony Martial minutes later, when a cross deflected off Stones, was easier but the Manchester
United man did less with it, jumping with the smaller Oleksandr Zinchenko, but losing the flight of the ball in the air as it hi this chest and dribbled tamely wide.
By now City looked dangerous with every attack and when Pogba conceded possession after 61 minutes, the resulting break saw Riyad Mahrez force another fine save from Henderson, who tipped the ball over.
Fernandinho would have the final say, of course. Just like Guardiola will hope to have when he goes head-to-head with Mourinho and Tottenham at Wembley.
MANCHESTER UNITED (4-3-1-2): Henderson; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Fred (Van de Beek 88), McTominay (Greenwood 75), Pogba; Fernandes; Rashford, Martial. Subs not used: De Gea, Bailly, Mata, James, Telles, Matic, Tuanzebe. Booked: Fred, Shaw. MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Steffen; Cancelo, Stones, Dias, Zinchenko; Sterling, Fernandinho, Gundogan; Foden, De Bruyne, Mahrez (Rodri 79). Subs not used: Walker, Jesus, Aguero, Mendy, Nmecha, Harwood-Bellis, Mbete-Tabu, Trafford. Booked: Cancelo. Man of the match: Kevin De Bruyne. Referee: Martin Atkinson.