Rooney snatches late winner to dash City's dream
Source: Agencies |
January 29, 2010, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WAYNE Rooney's stoppage-time header sent Manchester United into the League Cup final with a pulsating 3-1 victory over Manchester City on Wednesday.
Trailing 1-2 after last week's bad-tempered clash at Eastlands, United turned the tie on its head with goals from Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick, only for its former striker Carlos Tevez to level it for City.
But with the aggregate score 3-3 and extra time looming, Rooney's 21st goal of the season crushed City's bid for a long overdue trophy and sparked ecstatic celebrations inside a crackling Old Trafford.
Holders United will take on Aston Villa at Wembley on February 28, a repeat of the 1994 League Cup final which Villa won 3-1.
"You like to win your derby games," United manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports. "The atmosphere here tonight and the fact it was a semifinal added a lot of spice to the match and to score so late was a special kind of celebration."
While Ferguson now has the chance to claim a 20th domestic trophy since taking charge of United in 1986, City's long wait for silverware goes on. "We played the same level as them," said City manager Roberto Mancini, who was hoping to steer the club to a first final since 1981 just over a month after replacing Mark Hughes.
"We played well but I'm just sorry we lost. That's football. Now we have the FA Cup and the Premier League."
Disturbances
Fears of crowd disturbances after several flashpoints in the first leg did not materialize, apart from one incident when City's Craig Bellamy appeared to be struck by a missile, with a packed stadium absorbed by a classic Manchester derby.
In London, Frank Lampard scored twice as Chelsea cruised to a 3-0 victory over Birmingham to go a point ahead of United in the title race.
Arsenal was a further point adrift in third after being held to 0-0 at seventh-place Villa, which moved four points clear of crosstown rival Birmingham.
Birmingham arrived at Stamford Bridge on a club-record 15-match unbeaten run, but there was no way back after Chelsea scored inside six minutes.
Florent Malouda was left unmarked in a prime central position to head in Joe Cole's cross from the right flank.
Ballack squared to Lampard, who controlled the ball with his left boot before striking beyond Hart from 25 meters with his right. Lampard added a third in the 90th, firing into the bottom right after being fed by Malouda.
Arsenal squandered a chance to stay neck-and-neck on points. Its best chance came just before halftime at Villa Park when captain Cesc Fabregas hit the post when Brad Friedel was beaten.
The bar also denied Arsenal in the second half when Andrei Arshavin's shot was parried by Friedel and Tomas Rosicky's shot came off the underside of the woodwork but did not cross the line.
But it was a good night for Friedel's fellow American Landon Donovan, who scored his first goal for Everton since arriving on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy as the Liverpool club beat Sunderland 2-0.
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