Manchester City suffered a shock League Cup defeat at the hands of a reinvigorated Newcastle United, who reached the quarter-finals of the tournament with a superb 2-0 away win on Wednesday that left the holders nursing their latest wound after a bruising eight days.
Eighteen-year-old Newcastle winger Rolando Aarons struck in the sixth minute to hand the visitors an unlikely lead before Moussa Sissoko ended any hopes of a City fightback with a brilliant goal to gift underfire manager Alan Pardew a third win in 11 days.
Newcastle, buoyed by successive Premier League wins started with plenty of intent and their harassing and tenacity in midfield gifted them the early goal.
Photo: AFP
City’s Fernandinho was caught in possession and the ball was seized upon by Aarons who surged into the box and finished superbly through the legs of ’keeper Willy Caballero.
“We are buzzing in the dressing room. It has given the club a massive lift. It’s been a great week,” Aarons told Sky Sports.
The result, on the other hand, capped a miserable week for City, who are now without a win in three games, after they lost to West Ham United on Saturday and threw away a two-goal lead to draw CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday last week.
Elsewhere, Graziano Pelle struck twice as in-form Southampton let slip a 2-0 lead before advancing to the last-eight with a thrilling 3-2 victory against Stoke City, while Tottenham Hotspur eased through to the quarter-finals with a routine 2-0 win against Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion.
Pelle has been a revelation since his close-season move from Dutch side Feyenoord and gave his side the lead before Shane Long doubled it on the half hour.
Stoke pulled one back through Steven N’Zonzi early in the second half and restored parity through Mame Biram Diouf in the 82nd.
As extra time beckoned, Pelle bundled home his ninth of the season in the 88th, just moments after Stoke were reduced to 10 men after Peter Crouch’s red card.
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