Manchester United are to face bitter rivals Manchester City in the EFL Cup semi-finals after a dramatic 2-0 win at Everton on Wednesday, while Tottenham Hotspur joined them in the last four with victory against Stoke City.
United dominated for long periods of their quarter-final at Goodison Park, but it took until the 88th minute before Edinson Cavani broke the deadlock.
The former Paris Saint-Germain striker’s fourth goal for United since joining on a free transfer in October came at the same venue where he opened his account for the club last month.
Photo: Retuers
Anthony Martial bagged United’s second goal in stoppage-time.
“Cavani’s finish wasn’t bad. He is a quality striker. We know when we defend well we have got players to win us the game,” United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said.
“The spirit in the camp is good and this will give us a boost going into the Christmas period,” he said.
After a rocky period that raised questions about Solskjaer’s future following their exit from the Champions League, United have recovered their equilibrium.
They are third in the Premier League and have won their last three matches in all competitions.
United last lifted silverware when they won the Europa League in 2016-2017.
Solskjaer, who won nine major trophies as a player with United, took charge at Old Trafford in 2018 and saw his side lose in three semi-finals last term.
He now has a chance to go one better this season after United were drawn to face holders City in the last four.
United were beaten by City at the same stage of the competition last season.
“We are in the semi-finals, so we are one step away,” Solskjaer said. “It is the worst game to lose, a semi-final. We are going to do everything we can to get to that game in a good state.”
Tottenham and second-tier Brentford will meet in the other semi-final, with the matches to be played over one leg in the week commencing Jan. 4.
Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes were the only Manchester United players to retain their places after the 6-2 rout of Leeds United at the weekend, with Paul Pogba returning to the starting lineup.
With just two minutes left before a penalty shoot-out, Martial slipped a pass to Cavani, who drove a superb strike past Everton goalkeeper Robin Olsen from the edge of the area.
Martial then slotted home with virtually the last kick.
Cavani’s goal came after he had flicked a hand in Yerry Mina’s face earlier in the match, but there was no video assistant referee (VAR) available to potentially punish him.
“The rules were that VAR was not in this game, if the referee decided that Cavani didn’t do anything wrong we have to accept it. Full stop,” Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti said.
Jose Mourinho accused Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli of creating “problems” for his own team during their 3-1 win against Stoke.
Wales forward Gareth Bale made the most of a rare start to put Mourinho’s team ahead at the Bet365 Stadium.
Alli was at fault when his flamboyant flick was intercepted in the buildup to Jordan Thompson’s equalizer for Stoke.
Alli’s latest mistake drew an angry response on the touchline from Mourinho, who rebuked the star before substituting him minutes later.
Ben Davies put Tottenham back in front with his first goal since 2017, before England captain Harry Kane sealed Spurs’ place in the semi-finals.
It was Alli’s public dressing-down that took the spotlight, with the England international’s wretched season hitting a new low in his first start since Nov. 26.
“Yes, for me a player that plays in that position is a player that has to link and create, and not to create problems for his own team,” said Mourinho, who has exiled Alli for long periods this season amid talk of a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
“In that situation, an objective counterattack would probably end with a goal, and it ended with a counterattack behind our defenders. So yes, I am upset,” he said.
ANFIELD BLUES: Kylian Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games, but he managed just three attempts in the match, none of them hitting the target Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday. For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0. Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season. “We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually. The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the
LOCAL SUCCESS: In the doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets Elena Rybakina on Monday punched her ticket to the WTA Finals last four with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second seed Iga Swiatek in round-robin play in Riyadh. After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to guarantee herself top spot in the Serena Williams Group. Anisimova on Monday rallied back from a set and a break down to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her all-American battle with seventh seed Madison Keys, who has been eliminated from the competition. “Madi was playing so well, it was quite a battle out there,”
Erling Haaland on Sunday scored twice to propel Manchester City up to second in the English Premier League with a 3-1 win over AFC Bournemouth. The Cherries started the day in second thanks to the longest unbeaten run in the English top flight, but Andoni Iraola’s side were undone by the scintillating form of the Norwegian striker, who took his tally to 13 Premier League goals in 10 games. Haaland’s relentless streak is maintaining City’s title challenge as they reduced the gap to leaders Arsenal back to six points and edged one point ahead of Liverpool, who they face at the weekend. “Important
Yesterday morning in Japan began with a palpable buzz after the Los Angeles Dodgers announced Shohei Ohtani would start Game 7 of the World Series. By the time countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered the final out, Tokyo was erupting with joy. “I am so proud today to be Japanese,” said cab driver Seiichiro Okada, who pulled his car to the side of the road to watch the ending. “To be able to watch these legends in real time is something else.” Ohtani had two hits and also pitched, while Yamamoto earned World Series Most Valuable Player after yet another stellar pitching performance as the
RSS