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Manchester City reached the League Cup final after recovering from a shaky start as Sergio Aguero's brilliant header sealed a 3-1 win over Everton in the semi-final second leg on Wednesday to clinch a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Ross Barkley's bullish run and powerful finish put Everton ahead on the night after 18 minutes, but the lead was soon wiped out when Fernandinho's effort was deflected into the visitors' net.
If that was a lucky break for City, they were even more fortunate when Kevin de Bruyne side-footed them level in the tie after replays showed the ball had gone out of play before being cut back for the Belgian to score after 70 minutes.
BUT WHO WAS THE STAR MAN? RATINGS BELOW...
Show all 22 1 /22Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Willy Cabellero - 6 out of 10 Maybe he could have done better with Barkley’s goal, but the goalie was left with little chance after a sublimely struck effort
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Pablo Zabaleta - 6 out of 10 Always manages to put his side on the front foot from a defensive position. Played a lot better in a functioning second half display. His width with Clichy really spread out the defence allowing his midfielders space to operate.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Nicolás Otamendi - 6 out of 10 After Barkley’s goal he defended well to prevent an Everton attack who were strong on the front foot. In the second half he and Demichelis were able to nip any attacks in the bud with relative ease.
Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Martín Demichelis - 6 out of 10 Other than the goal there was little the he or his defensive partner really had to do apart from prevent a first half barrage from the Everton attack, keeping the Toffees to only one goal was a huge plus.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Gael Clichy - 7 out of 10 Operating as more of a wing back Clichy’s pace enables City to play with far more width. His runs opened up the space for a lot of the strong work from Navas, Silva and De Bruyne.
Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Yaya Toure - 6 out of 10 As usual he displayed an assured leadership in City’s midfield. However, he lacked the breath taking surges to the heart of defences that are so usually associated with him. He was subbed of for Kevin de Bruyne which said a lot about his position in the City team these days.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Fernandinho - 7 out of 10 A goal gives him an extra point and he linked up well with the rest of his midfield. He did struggle to stop a number of attacks in the first half from Everton.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Fabian Delph - 5 out of 10 Missing in action for the Barkley goal and he gave the ball away a number of times. He was replaced by Navas in the second half who sparked City into life with a much brighter performance.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings David Silva - 7 out of 10 Looked consistently dangerous as an attacking threat . He and Aguero did much to tantalise and frustrate Everton’s defence and he was instrumental in the win.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Raheem Sterling - 6 out of 10 He was missing for much of the match but supplied Kevin de Bruyne for City’s second goal in what was questionable circumstances. Nonetheless the goal stood and Sterling deserves the credit for a fantastic ball
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Sergio Aguero - 8 out of 10 Buzzed around magnificently and was a constant threat. Had a hand in the Fernandinho goal and looked dangerous all night. He fully deserved the goal that put City ahead in the tie.
Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Joel Robles - 6 out of 10 He wasn’t at fault for any of the goals. Frustratingly they were all well hit strikes that eluded his grasp.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings John Stones - 5 out of 10 Subbed off for Coleman before the end, his performance didn’t indicate that of a player who Real Madrid are supposedly interested in. He is unlikely to face many strikers on better form than the irrepressible Aguero.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Phil Jagielka - 5 out of 10 Outpaced by Aguero a on a number of occasions. Whilst it seems unfair to single him out, he wasn’t able to deal with the attacking threat that City offered in the second half.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Ramiro Funes Mori - 6 out of 10 He played on the edge. A strong tackle in midfield set up the Barkley goal, he was consistently strong in defence during the first half. In the second the Everton defence slipped too many times, if not due to the skill of City than poor defending by Funes Mori.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Leighton Baines - 6 out of 10 Very unlucky that his deflection found its way into the Everton net, Baines often epitomises the hard work of the Everton side. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to prevent the cross from De Bruyne leading to Aguero’s goal.
Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Tom Cleverly - 6 out of 10 He worked hard throughout the game and looked at the heart of a potential Everton victory. But in the end he was overwhelmed by a talented City attack.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Gareth Barry - 6 out of 10 A pretty average touch in the build-up to Fernandinho’s goal was a blemish on an otherwise strong performance against his former club. He kept the Everton defence together until its eventual crumble.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Gerard Deulofeu - 6 out of 10 He was effective in putting Everton on the front foot in the first half but missed guilt edge chance in the second. Was substituted relatively early in the first half for Arouna Koné.
Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Leon Osman - 6 out of 10 Didn’t assert himself into the game as much as his contemporaries. Nonetheless he tracked back well and offered himself for a number of chances in the game.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Ross Barkley - 7 out of 10 A masterful first half display in which he was at his pulsating best. His goal was a piece of genuine power and skill, at times he looked the best player on the pitch.
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Manchester City 3 Everton 1 player ratings Romelu Lukaku - 6 out of 10 Linked excellently with Barkley and was a powerful menace. He pressured defenders in the air and was a fantastic link man, no wonder he is in such high demand. Despite that, more goals were needed to carry Everton through.
City's third goal, however, was all about the brilliance of striker Aguero, who angled a superb header into the corner to set up a final against Liverpool on 28 February at Wembley.
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