Man City vs Liverpool LIVE: Carabao Cup result and score as City win thriller to reach quarter-finals
Man City 3-2 Liverpool: Erling Haaland and Mo Salah both scored but it was City who edged into the last eight
Manchester City narrowly beat Liverpool 3-2 in a Carabao Cup round of 16 thriller, as Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp’s teams played their first competitive fixture since the World Cup.
City’s four-year grip on the Carabao Cup trophy came to an end last season when Liverpool won the competition for the first time in a decade but they got revenge as Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez and Nathan Ake all scored for the hosts at the Etihad.
Liverpool had twice hit back after going a goal behind, with Fabio Carvalho and then Mohamed Salah equalising for the visitors, but Ake’s 58th-minute header from Kevin De Bruyne’s incredible cross made the lead stick.
City go into the quarter-final draw later this season alongside the likes of Manchester United, Leicester and Newcastle and will surely now be favourites to go all the way.
Relive all the action with our live blog below:
Kick off: Man City 0-0 Liverpool
Erling Haaland gets the match started. City work the ball over to Nathan Ake at left-back who feeds the ball into Illkay Gundogan. The midfielder spins away from Stefan Bajcetic before sliding a through ball in behind the Liverpool defence.
Haaland collects the ball then chips Caoimhin Kelleher before landing his shot on the top of the goal!
Man City vs Liverpool
There’s a light show happening at the Etihad before the players make their way out of the tunnel and onto the pitch. A reminder that in the Carabao Cup there is no extra-time so if the game ends in a draw it’ll go straight to a penalty shootout.
Kelleher shines in shootouts
Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has been vital to Liverpool’s defensive stability. He has saved more penalties for Liverpool in shootouts (six) than any other goalkeeper in the club’s history.
Kelleher saved three penalties in the last round against Derby County, and has played eight times for the Reds in this competition, winning four shootouts in the process.
A strong defence
Liverpool have kept seven clean sheets in their last eight Carabao Cup matches, with only Leicester City – who scored three at Anfield on this date last year – finding the net in that sequence.
Carabao Cup quarter-final draw
The draw for the next round of the Carabao Cup takes place at the conclusion of Manchester City vs Liverpool.
Seven teams are already through with Charlton Athletic the only non-Premier League side still in the competition after they defeated Brighton in a penalty shootout last night.
Also through are Manchester United and Newcastle who will both have eyes on winning this competition.
Man City vs Liverpool
The warm-ups are underway at the Etihad Stadium. Both managers have named a mix of experience and youth in the starting XIs so it’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top tonight.
Klopp vs Guardiola
Jurgen Klopp has won 12 of his meetings with Pep Guardiola during his career as a manager in all competitions whilst losing on nine other occasions.
Who will come out on top tonight?
Marcus Rashford maintains flying form on return as Manchester United see off Burnley
If it is a time of year for Christians to celebrate, Christian Eriksen has had little to savour this month. He must have imagined his first game of December would be in the last 16 of the World Cup for Denmark, not the last 16 of the Carabao Cup for Manchester United. But, after the anti-climax of underachievement on the global stage, he at least set United on the path to a less prestigious trophy. He may have dreamt of facing Argentina; instead he struck against Burnley.
A scorer of three goals in Qatar, Marcus Rashford maintained his fine form, capping a 50-yard solo run with a strike to see off the Clarets and life after Cristiano Ronaldo began with a comfortable win. With three of the supposed big six already out and another set to follow on Thursday, United have reasons to believe their debut season under Erik ten Hag can bring glory.
They eased back into action and if others will be searching for a blend between those who have had five weeks off, those who were unused, underused or unsuccessful in the World Cup and those who ventured deep into the tournament, Ten Hag found a formula. He started with five of his World Cup contingent, including three quarter-finalists: Rashford scored, Bruno Fernandes starred with some incisive passing and Casemiro strolled through the game, slotting in at centre-back in the absence of the ill Harry Maguire. He conjured a goal-line clearance after the error-prone, erratic Martin Dubravka came for, and missed, a cross.
Marcus Rashford maintains flying form on return as Manchester United see off Burnley
Manchester United 2-0 Burnley: Erik ten Hag started five players who featured in the World Cup with Rashford adding their second with a fine solo goal
Lijnders talks facing Man City
Jurgen Klopp’s assistant coach, Pep Lijnders, took the pre-match press conference this week and spoke about taking on Manchester City for the third time this season.
“I think it’s never a boring game against them. It was never a boring game, both teams will put on a great show, that’s for sure.” said Lijnders.
“We know [that] against them we need to be 100 per cent concentrated on the things we have to do. We need to be really difficult to play against, we need to be really good and efficient in the moments we have the ball.
“We will try and they will try. It’s a strange situation coming back from a World Cup and having this fixture straight [away].
“It’s [the same] for them and for us, but what I said, we will try and the team already proved in the past whoever [our] players are on the pitch, that they will make it a top show.”
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