The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola congratulates Claudio Bravo after the keeper saved a penalty from Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez in the shoot-out to seal a place in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
CARABAO CUP: Manchester City and Arsenal win through to semi-finals
LEICESTER CITY 1 MANCHESTER CITY 1 AET, 3-4 ON PENALTIES
Claudio Bravo was Manchester City’s penalty hero as they kept their hopes of a dream quadruple alive to beat Leicester and reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
The goalkeeper saved Riyad Mahrez’s spot-kick as Pep Guardiola’s side won 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time.
Jamie Vardy missed in the shoot-out after scoring a controversial added-time penalty to take it beyond 90 minutes, after Bernado Silva’s first-half goal looked to have given the much-changed visitors the win.
They can still take a clean sweep of trophies this term with Guardiola’s side already 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Only Ilkay Gundogan and Eliaquim Mangala started for City following Saturday’s 4-1 win over Tottenham but they still held the upper hand until home boss Claude Puel introduced Mahrez, Vardy and Demarai Gray from the bench in the second half.
The Foxes trio put the visitors on the back foot but could not end Guardiola’s domestic dominance despite a soft penalty award in the seventh of eight minutes of stoppage time when Kyle Walker tangled with Gray in the area and Vardy sent the tie to extra time.
ARSENAL 1 WEST HAM 0
Danny Welbeck scored the only goal of a forgettable game as Arsenal booked their place in tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final draw.
The pair had shared a goalless draw in their Premier League meeting at the London Stadium last week but this time out, with both sides fielding very different line-ups, it was Welbeck who made the difference to seal a 1-0 win.
The 27-year-old will not care how the goal came about as he got on the scoresheet for the first time since his double against Bournemouth on September 9.
It proved to be enough to book Arsene Wenger’s side their first League Cup semi-final place in six years as West Ham offered very little in the way of goal-threat.
As expected, Wenger made wholesale alterations as he introduced an entirely different starting XI to that which toiled to victory over Newcastle on Saturday.
The likes of Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud, Francis Coquelin and Welbeck were again afforded the chance to stake a claim for a place in the Gunners’ Premier League line-up.
West Ham, too, made changes with David Moyes bringing in six new faces as Joe Hart returned in goal and Manuel Lanzini missed out having been handed a two-match ban earlier in the day having been adjudged to have dived in the weekend win at Stoke.