Ding dong Man City on high, as Ake wins end-to-end thriller
TIS the season to get even. Manchester City avenged a rancorous defeat at Anfield in October, and broke Liverpool’s grip on the Carabao Cup, in another epic battle.
City beat their rivals for the first time in six meetings as they look to regain the trophy that was theirs for four years before Jurgen Klopp’s side lifted it in February.
But this will mean so much more than a place in the quarter-finals on a night when there was not much Christmas spirit shown.
There is no disguising the animosity between City and Liverpool and it erupted again 11 minutes from time in an ugly melee sparked by Fabinho’s clash with Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan, which was followed by more angry words between the two benches.
By then, City had edged ahead again having led twice and then been pegged back. It is certainly never dull when these two meet.
Sixty-seven days had passed since that tumultuous Sunday at Anfield when Klopp saw red, Liverpool fans used Pep Guardiola as target practice and City supporters stoked the bad feeling between the two clubs by singing about Hillsborough and Heysel.
The wounds were still fresh enough for both clubs to write to fans threatening stadium bans if there was any repeat of the bad behaviour, but it was clear again last night that this rivalry will not subside anytime soon.
It may have been the fourth round of the Carabao Cup but it was played with as much intensity as any Premier League encounter.
Nor did the absence of a number of players post World Cup take the sting out of the occasion. Of the 23 on duty from City and Liverpool in Qatar, only seven started with eight more on the bench.
Liverpool fans greeted a prematch smoke and lights show with a chorus of ‘what the f ****** hell is that?’ but the fog had not even lifted when Erling Haaland charged through the gloom onto Ilkay Gundogan’s pass and lifted the ball over Ireland’s Caoimhín Kelleher, and well over the bar, inside the opening 20 seconds.
It was the prelude to a breathless first half reminiscent of so many games between Guardiola and Klopp in recent years.
No sooner had Liverpool had their let-off than Darwin Nunez chased James Milner’s pass at the other end only to see his effort blocked by Aymeric Laporte. It was by no means Nunez’s only missed opportunity of the half.
Guardiola was still shaking his head at an astonishing miss by Cole Palmer — side-footing wide in front of goal from Haaland’s cross — when City struck first in the 10th minute.
There was no surprise that it came from Kevin De Bruyne, the only shock being that the Belgian popped up on the opposite side of the pitch to usual.
Gundogan and Palmer combined on the left and De Bruyne swung a cross to the edge of the six-yard box. Joe Gomez looked favourite to reach it first, but the Liverpool defender seemed oblivious to the threat of Haaland on his left shoulder as he lazily stuck out a leg.
The Norwegian did not need any further encouragement and stole in ahead of Gomez to volley home at the near post for his 24th goal of the season.
If Liverpool were casual on that occasion then so were City when they conceded the equaliser 10 minutes later.
Joel Matip’s pass found Milner in an advanced position and took out several City players. Milner crossed low to Fabio Carvalho on the edge of the area and although his finish lack pace, it had the accuracy and spin to take the ball away from Stefan Ortega in the City goal. Twice in the space of a minute, De Bruyne provided assists for Gundogan and Nathan Ake to test Kelleher from close range and both should have done better.
Then twice before half-time Nunez found himself in promising positions but fired wide of Ortega’s right-hand post.
Milner had already left the pitch injured by then to a less-thanpolite send-off from the fans of his old club, and substitute Nat Phillips was followed off the bench by Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at the interval.
City were ahead again within seconds of the restart, however, as Rodri swung a pass to Riyad Mahrez on the right. Mahrez’s touch was exquisite, controlling the ball and taking it inside Andy Robertson in one movement before curling beyond Kelleher.
Liverpool’s reply was even swifter this time. Oxlade-Chamberlain played an excellent pass down the left with the outside of his boot and Nunez galloped away. Ake had lost track of Mo Salah and when Nunez’s low cross reached the Egyptian he had a simple tap-in.
If Ake could be faulted for that loss of concentration, he made amends when City went ahead for the third time in the 58th minute.
De Bruyne was the architect again, taking a short corner with Palmer and then swinging a cross to the back post where Ake had peeled off and planted a header past Kelleher. Nunez wasted another good chance, dragging his shot wide of the far post again. This time, there was no way back for Klopp and Liverpool.
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