REZ & SHINE! JULES AND RIYAD RULE

City pair score as Pep sees off Potter’s rotters

BY

RIYAD MAHREZ helped pile on the pain for Graham Potter with a stunning second-half strike.

Mahrez broke the deadlock with an impressive free-kick, before Julian Alvarez added a second to book Manchester City’s place in the fourth round and increase the misery for Chelsea boss Potter.

Chelsea reached the Carabao Cup final last season but find themselves dumped out at the first time of asking this time round.

And the blow will increase the pressure on Potter, whose side have now won just two of their last seven games in all competitions.

City, meanwhile, continue to breeze along at a canter on their quest to reclaim a trophy Pep Guardiola won four times on the spin prior to Liverpool taking it off them last season.

Both managers rang the changes, with Guardiola resting the likes of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.

City’s boss, missing the suspended Joao Cancelo, handed another start to rising teenage star Rico Lewis, while Cole Palmer was also given another chance to impress.

Kalvin Phillips was named among the substitutes for the first time since September, and the midfielder made a welcome return to action after 50 minutes to hand England boss Gareth Southgate a huge boost ahead of the World Cup.

Potter, meanwhile, who was without injured duo Reece James and Ben Chilwell, gave only a second start to academy midfielder Lewis Hall, while Denis Zakaria and Armando Broja were also included.

The visitors were on the back foot from the start when Sergio Gomez flashed a ball across the face of goal but no one in a light blue shirt was on hand to finish it off.

Moments later a burst from Jack Grealish set up a chance for Alvarez, but Kalidou Koulibaly was there to snuff out the danger, before Grealish then lashed a shot just wide.

But Chelsea should have gone ahead themselves when Hakim Ziyech teed up Christian Pulisic, who fluffed his lines close to goal when it looked easier to score.

Ilkay Gundogan sent a free-kick just over the top and Pulisic produced a better effort on goal to demand a smart save from Stefan Ortega as the chances continued to flow at both ends.

Alvarez was wasteful again when missing the target following a clever pass from Gundogan then Edouard Mendy kept out a curling effort from the dangerous Grealish.

Hall cut inside Lewis but failed to beat Ortega to blow his big chance of glory right on the stroke of halftime.

Mendy denied Grealish twice in quick succession as the stalemate somehow continued.

Then eight minutes into the second-half came the moment of magic from Mahrez, who beat Mendy from the edge of the box to make it 1-0 – although questions will be asked about Chelsea’s wall.

Five minutes later Alvarez tapped in from close range to leave the visitors eyeing an early exit.

Mahrez and Alvarez with the goals that heaped pressure on the Chelsea boss (below right)