Quadruple bid still alive as Man City reach final

BRISTOL CITY

Pack 64, Flint 90

MANCHESTERCITY

3

Sane 43, Aguero 49, De Bruyne 90

(Agg 3-5) Manchester City kept alive their hopes of an unprecedented quadruple by reaching the Carabao Cup final with a 3-2 win at Bristol City.

Goals by Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne secured a 5-3 aggregate triumph and manager Pep Guardiola’s first cup final in English football.

Marlon Pack’s 64th-minute header and a close-range strike by Aden Flint in stoppage time looked like giving Bristolcityadrawonthenight, but De Bruyne scored with the final kick of the match.

Bristol City, in their first semi-final of a major cup competition for nearly 30 years, had retained hope of causing an upset after losing the first leg at the Etihad Stadium 2-1.

There was an electric atmosphere inside Ashton Gate at kick-off. But this was a bridge too far for Sky Bet Championship hosts who had already eliminated four Premier League sides from the competition, most notably Manchester United in the quarter-final.

The pattern of the game was a predictable one, Bristol City penned back into their own half by the runaway Premier League leaders and starved of meaningful possession.

When Luke Steele pushed out Bernardo Silva’s deflected effort it looked as if the hosts would reach half-time level on the night. But Silva pressed Hordur Magnusson into a mistake on the bye-line and the ball fell to Sane, who struck his 11th goal of the season.

The tie was well and truly beyond Bristol City within four minutes of the restart. De Bruyne led the charge out and his delicious pass got the finish it deserved as Aguero drove the ball past Steele.

Bristol City refused to throw in the towel and the goal that Ashton Gate craved came after 64 minutes. Jamie Paterson broke down the left and his cross was met by Pack, whose powerful header gave Claudio Bravo no chance.

Home fans were no doubt dreaming of an improbable comeback at that point, even more so when Flint tapped home Bobby Reid’s header. But De Bruyne ensured Manchester City had the last word and they will now meet either Arsenal or Chelsea in the final of a competition they won in 2014 and 2016.