Magical City rallies to take Cup
Print Edition
Two moments of magic in the space of two second-half minutes helped Manchester City to a 3-1 victory over Sunderland in the English League Cup final at Wembley yesterday.
Manuel Pellegrini’s favorites were trailing to Fabio Borini’s 10th minute strike for Sunderland and a shock looked on the cards until Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri intervened. Jesus Navas completed the turnaround late on.
Toure curled in City’s equalizer after 55 minutes before Nasri thumped home the winner to snatch the season’s first silverware for Pellegrini’s title-chasing side. It was City’s first League Cup title since 1976.
“We needed to win today, it was very important. And we deserved it the way we played in the second half,” Toure told Sky Sports.
“Today we showed we are a great team. I think it was my best goal.”
Sunderland spent the opening five minutes entrenched inside their own half as City, which scored 19 goals en route to the final, moved the ball around with ease on the lush turf.
But minutes later the ball was in the back of the City net.
There seemed no imminent danger as Borini closed down Vincent Kompany but City’s skipper was guilty of over-complication and Borini robbed him of the ball before bursting into the penalty area and thumping a shot with the outside of his right boot past Costel Pantilimon.
City dominated possession for the rest of the half without ever carving open a Sunderland rearguard bolstered by former Manchester United stalwarts Wes Brown and John O’Shea.
Aguero denied
Phil Bardsley, who scored in Sunderland’s semifinal penalty shootout win over United, reacted superbly to deny Sergio Aguero a certain goal but keeper Vito Mannone was not required to make any outstanding saves.
Sunderland was always dangerous on the counter-attack and could have doubled its lead when Borini ran through on goal from a suspiciously offside position but Kompany recovered to nick the ball away as the Italian cocked his leg to shoot.
A city onslaught was expected at the start of the second half but again, Sunderland continued to impress.
Ki Sung-yueng, part of the Swansea City side to lift the trophy last season, let fly from 30 meters, forcing Pantilimon to tip his dipping strike over the crossbar. Then the wheels fell off Sunderland’s bandwagon.
One nonchalant swing of Toure’s right leg sent a curling 25 meter shot beyond the fingertips of Mannone after 55 minutes and two minutes later Nasri turned the final on its axis with an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area after Aleksandar Kolarov’s cross was half cleared.
It was cruel on Sunderland which until then had been worth its lead but a further demonstration of the formidable firepower available to Pellegrini. Substitute Navas made absolutely sure there was no way back for Sunderland with City’s third on the stroke of full time.
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