Pep on verge of English trophy
BRISTOL: Pep Guardiola saw his Manchester City side pushed hard before defeating second-tier Bristol City in an entertaining League Cup semi-final on Tuesday to leave him one game away from winning his first major trophy in English football.
Guardiola’s runaway Premier League leaders, eyeing an unprecedented season quadruple given they also remain involved in both the FA Cup and Champions League, won 3-2 on the night for a 5-3 aggregate win over the Championship side.
They kicked off with a narrow advantage at Ashton Gate after a 2-1 first-leg win at the Etihad Stadium.
But goals either side of half-time from Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero effectively saw Manchester City to a win on Tuesday and success over over the two legs as they reached their first final under former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager Guardiola.
Bristol City were undaunted, however, with Marlon Pack pulling a goal back in the 64th minute before Aden Flint scored deep into stoppage time.
However, there was still time for Kevin De Bruyne to round off the scoring for Manchester City.
Guardiola’s men will now face the winners of last night’s Emirates Stadium semifinal between their Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley on Feb 25, with the two London clubs deadlocked at 0-0 after a first-leg stalemate.
“We are so happy to be there, to reach this final,” Guardiola, whose debut season as City boss last term saw him end a campaign without a trophy for the first time in his managerial career, told Sky Sports.
“We played an amazing game until 2-0 and then we lost control, these type of games never end until the end.
“This is a lesson for next weekend in Cardiff in the FA Cup and especially for the Champions League,” the Spaniard warned.
Bristol City’s heroics two weeks ago would have given fair warning to Guardiola about what to expect at Ashton Gate.
Yet if there was a hint of complacency about Manchester City in the first leg, it seemed to have been drummed out of them by kick-off on Tuesday as they tightened the screw from the first minute.
They barely gave the hosts a kick in the first half, hitting the woodwork from an Aguero cross and seeing a John Stones header drift just wide before Sane gave them the lead.
Aguero doubled the lead on the night four minutes after the break with a pinpoint finish from De Bruyne’s perfect pass.
There appeared no way back for the hosts until Pack guided a superb header back across goalkeeper Claudio Bravo into the corner of the net in the 64th minute.
That lifted the crowd but did little to change the momentum of the contest until three minutes into stoppage time when centre-back Flint finished from close range, sending Ashton Gate wild with hope.
Yet the faint trace of belief among the home fans was wiped out when Sane cut the ball back for De Bruyne to slam home.