Manchester: Holders Manchester City can look forward to defending the League Cup in next month’s final at the Wembley as Gabriel Jesus struck four goals in a 9-0 thrashing of Burton Albion in their semifinal, first leg, Wednesday.
Kevin de Bruyne, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and Riyad Mahrez were also on target against Nigel Clough’s League One side as City ensured their visit to the Pirelli Stadium January 23, is a mere formality.
Kevin de Bryune, coming back after a lay-off set the tone for the evening by heading City into a fifth-minute lead as he timed his run into the box perfectly to head home David Silva’s cross.
The visitors missed a glorious chance to get straight back on level terms when Marcus Harness blasted over Lucas Akins’s cross when completely unmarked inside the penalty box.
It took Man City until the half hour mark to double their advantage, but a glut of three goals in seven minutes followed to put the tie to bed before the break.
Jesus headed home his first from close range after Bradley Collins had denied Leroy Sane before the Brazilian slotted home Silva’s cushioned pass via the inside of the post. The hosts did not need any luck, but still got some when Zinchenko’s intended cross then looped over Collins to make it 4-0.
Other sides may have slacked off in the second period, but with competitions for places so fierce among Pep Guardiola’s side, the hosts were ruthless to match the Catalan’s biggest ever win as a coach. Jesus powered home a header to complete his second hat-trick of the season.
De Bruyne was then replaced by home favourite Foden, who was surprisingly left out the starting XI, just before the hour mark. It took just four minutes for the 18-year-old to score his third City goal as he profited from the rebound after Collins did well to parry Jesus’s first effort.
Jesus did soon have his fourth with a delicate finish from Sane’s cross and City’s dominance was summed up when right-back Kyle Walker strode forward to fire home his side’s eighth of the evening. Mahrez made it nine seven minutes from time and those City fans still in the Etihad cried for a historic 10th.
PSG stunned
Meanwhile in Paris, hosts Paris Saint-Germain saw their 43-match winning run in domestic cup competitions come to an end as Thomas Tuchel’s men suffered a shock 1-2 defeat by Ligue 1 bottom club Guingamp in the French League Cup quarterfinals. It was only a second defeat in all competitions this season for the capital club, after a 2-3 loss to Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League last September.
“We came here to win and we know it’s very difficult here,” said Marcus Thuram, son of 1998 World Cup winner Lilian Thuram, who scored the winner.
Neymar broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute after Thuram missed from the spot, but Guingamp rallied, with Thuram’s successful injury-time penalty snatching victory with a shootout looming.
AFP
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