The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Everton denied by hero Kasper
Red Devils leave it late to seal clash with city rivals
EVERTON 2 LEICESTER 2 (LEICESTER WIN 4-2 ON PENS)
Kasper Schmeichel was the hero for Leicester last night as the Foxes defeated Everton on penalties to reach the semifinals of the Carabao Cup for the first time in 19 years.
Leicester will play Aston Villa in the last-four clash.
In scenes reminiscent of Everton’s Premier League victory over Chelsea, interim manager Duncan Ferguson hoisted a ball boy above his head in celebration after Leighton Baines drilled in a stunning 90th-minute equaliser to make it 2-2 at the end of normal time.
That completed a second-half comeback, with Tom Davies netting in the 70th minute after James Maddison and Jonny Evans had scored in quick succession in the first half for Leicester.
Jordan Pickford’s stunning save from Maddison in the first action of the shootout had Everton fans dreaming of a perfect comeback but Schmeichel denied Cenk Tosun and, cruelly, Baines to put Leicester on the front foot.
It was left to Jamie Vardy to confidently convert the decisive spot-kick, giving Leicester a 4-2 victory in the shoot-out and maintaining manager Brendan Rodgers’ remarkable record of not having lost a domestic cup competition since April 2015. Leicester dominated possession and a ‘sitting ducks’ analogy by Ferguson in the match programme was looking worryingly accurate.
Everton were given a warning in the 16th minute when Ricardo Pereira’s pull-back was dummied by Jamie Vardy for Ayoze Perez to shoot over the bar.
Ten minutes later Maddison made no such mistake, using the time he was given to control Ricardo’s pass and curl a delicious finish into the far corner with the outside of his right boot.
Three minutes later Evans had the freedom of the six-yard box to tap in Vardy’s flick-on from Maddison’s corner.
Everton would have been three down with less than an hour gone but for a good save by Jordan Pickford, who rose athletically to push Perez’s venomous strike. But hope arrived for the hosts in the 70th minute courtesy of Davies, who met Richarlison’s cross on the volley with enough force to beat Schmeichel despite the keeper getting a hand on it.
Young striker Moise Kean then gave a glimpse of why Everton paid more than £20 million for him, turning and crossing for Dominic Calvert-lewin, but he could not keep his header down.
With the match heading into injury time, Baines chose his moment perfectly to unleash a drive into the top corner for his first goal in more than two years.
MANCHESTER UNITED 3 COLCHESTER 0
Marcus Rashford set Manchester United on course for a Carabao Cup semi-final clash against Manchester City as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side finally broke Colchester’s resolve at Old Trafford.
After two trophyless seasons for the red half of Manchester, the Red Devils have a shot at reaching March’s Wembley finale but must beat their local rivals to do so.
Sky Bet League Two side Colchester made it tougher than the eventual 3-0 scoreline suggested, but Solskjaer’s side kicked on after a frustrating first half as Rashford and Anthony Martial scored either side of Ryan Jackson’s own goal.
John Mcgreal’s men did their 5,000 travelling fans proud as the U’s made their first visit to Old Trafford, with the lowest ranked team left in the competition stymieing the illustrious hosts through doggedness and discipline in the first half.
But just as Colchester supporters began to dream of adding to the Carabao Cup scalps of Crystal Palace and Tottenham, Rashford scored a fine opener on the break just 15 seconds after Jackson had a shot at the other end.
The Colchester man turned a Mason Greenwood cross into his own goal as salt was quickly rubbed into the wound, with Martial settling the tie from a smart first-time Rashford pass.