City to face Man Utd in League Cup semifinals

London, December 20

Holders Manchester City will face Manchester United in the semifinals of the League Cup after both sides saw off lower league opposition to make the last four on Wednesday.

Raheem Sterling’s second half double ensured City warded off a shock to win 3-1 at League One Oxford, while United ended fourth-tier Colchester United’s fairytale run with a 3-0 win at Old Trafford.

Leicester set up a semifinal meeting with Aston Villa after the Foxes survived a second half fightback from Everton to secure their place in the last-4 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park.

City have won this competition for the past two seasons with Pep Guardiola’s only defeat in the League Cup coming to United three years ago. Guardiola’s men will have a chance to avenge their 2-1 Premier League defeat to the Red Devils earlier this month when the sides clash over two legs in January. “You always want to win trophies. We’ve got a nice little draw coming up, it’ll be exciting times,” said United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. “We’ve shown before we can do well against City.”

United patience pays off

Manchester United had to be patient before seeing off Colchester, who had beaten Tottenham and Crystal Palace to make the last-8.

Leicester’s brilliant season continued as they held their nerve from the spot after blowing a comfortable lead at Everton. The Foxes travel to City in the Premier League on Saturday. — AFP