Man City reach League Cup final despite loss to Man United
Manchester City will get the chance to win the English League Cup for a third straight season after advancing to the final despite losing 1-0 to Manchester United in the second leg of their semifinal on Wednesday.
Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, United moved to within a goal of City on aggregate when Nemanja Matic swept home a powerful finish off the post in the 35th minute.
City dominated the match at Etihad Stadium, with Raheem Sterling wasting two clear-cut chances, but United stayed in the game until Matic was sent off in the 76th after collecting his second yellow card.
Pep Guardiola's team will play Aston Villa in the title match at Wembley Stadium on March 1, and will be big favorite having won a Premier League game between the teams 6-1 this month.
City has won the second-tier cup competition the past two years, four times in the last six seasons, and six times in total.
United can at least take pride in beating its neighbor away for the second time in two months, having also won at the Etihad in the league.
Liverpool beats West Ham 20 to go 19 points clear in EPL
Mohamed Salah scored a penalty and set up Alex OxladeChamberlain's goal as Liverpool beat West Ham 2-0 Wednesday to go 19 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
The game had been postponed in December because of Liverpool playing in the Club World Cup in Qatar, a trophy which joined the European Cup from last season in the Anfield trophy cabinet.
Now it seems a matter of when
— not if — Liverpool ends its 30-year English title drought given the team's commanding lead with 14 games remaining.
West Ham, meanwhile, is only above the relegation zone due to having a better goal difference than Bournemouth.
Liverpool's breakthrough in east London came when Salah netted a penalty in the 35th minute after Issa Diop fouled Divock Origi.
Salah's pinpoint pass with the outside of his boot then set up Oxlade-Chamberlain to slot in the second in the 52nd.
Trent Alexander-Arnold volleyed against his own post and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson kept out Declan Rice's header but West Ham couldn't find a way back into the game.
"The difficulty tonight was to get the rhythm, keep rhythm and to stay concentrated," Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said.
"It's normal you don't always perform to the highest level ... but it was more than good enough to win this game."
Liverpool has now beaten all 19 teams in the league at least once this season.