FULL TIME: Everton 2-1 Manchester City
And that’s that! Goodison erupts in celebration of Everton’s first-leg victory. The home side have been brilliant tonight, the better side. On that basis they deserve the narrow win, though City will point to the penalty that should have been given but wasn’t. It promises to be a cracking second leg at the City of Manchester Stadium in three weeks. This tie could go either way. But as things stand, unless the Cities of Manchester and Stoke can do something about it, the 2016 League Cup final will be a Merseyside affair.
Updated
90 min +3: Coleman hobbles off down the tunnel with the world’s largest icepack strapped to his left leg. On the pitch, Everton continue to run down the clock in the professional style.
90 min +2: “Feel sorry for Sterling,” writes Ian Copestake. “He would have got a game for his old club.”
90 min +1: There will be four added minutes. During the first, City replace De Bruyne with their last sub Fernando, which suggests they don’t think 2-1 is an awful result in this two-legged affair.
90 min: Everton play some rather impressive keepball, going up and down the right wing, Kone, Besic, Barry and Mirallas with the party tricks under extreme pressure.
88 min: Coleman is getting some treatment. And now he’s going off. Everton taking no chances. They’ve got no subs left, so will see this game out with ten men. Goodison, sensing a famous victory, was tense enough already.
86 min: Besic has a pop from 25 yards, but his shot is deflected off Otamendi and arcs harmlessly into Caballero’s arms. Then another Everton attack, with Mirallas skinning Demichelis down the right wing, but his low cross is behind Kone and cleared by City.
85 min: City are passing it around a lot, but in the middle of the field and going nowhere. As sterile as you like. Everton are loving this.
83 min: Osman fouls Aguero 25 yards from the Everton goal. A free kick in a very dangerous position. Toure looks to bend one into the top right, but slaps the ball into the wall instead.
Updated
82 min: Not sure what happened to Lukaku, but he was limping the minute he started celebrating his goal. Kone comes on in his place.
Updated
80 min: Lukaku is hobbling quite a lot.
Updated
GOAL! Everton 2-1 Manchester City (Lukaku 78)
Everton regain the lead almost immediately! Baines and Barkley keep possession down the left. The ball’s slipped outside for Barry, who from a deep position swings a ball into the City box and onto the head of Lukaku, who has a jump on Otamendi and Demichelis. He can’t miss, and doesn’t! Two minutes and six seconds between the goals. Goodison is bouncing.
Updated
GOAL! Everton 1-1 Manchester City (Navas 76)
Fernandinho, to the right of his own D, launches a huge diagonal ball upfield to Aguero on the right wing. Aguero draws the only two Everton defenders in their own half, and slides a pass between them and out to the left, where Navas is totally unmarked. Navas takes a touch to enter the box, and finishes confidently under Joel.
Updated
75 min: Barkley slides the ball wide right for Mirallas, whose deep cross nearly finds Osman at the far post. Otamendi heads clear brilliantly. But Everton come again, Baines gliding in from the left and sending a shot goalwards from 20 yards. It’s deflected out for a corner, spinning wildly to the right of the City goal. The corner is cleared by City, who break upfield ...
72 min: Silva is bowled over by Besic. De Bruyne blooters the free kick, 25 yards out in a promising position, straight into the wall. The away team are beginning to apply some pressure.
70 min: City should have a penalty kick. Navas enters the area down the right and has his heel clipped by Mirallas. The referee isn’t convinced. Hmm. City come again, De Bruyne sending a low fizzer towards the bottom right from 25 yards. Joel tips round the post marvellously, and the set piece comes to nothing.
Updated
69 min: Baines, romping down the left, wheechs a low cross into the box. Lukaku is waiting to tap home, but Demichelis is on hand to block out for a corner. The set piece is dealt with easily enough.
68 min: Mirallas comes on for Deulofeu. Meanwhile here’s Harley Freemantle with an answer to the Simon McMahon related question of 56 mins: “Is it Lochee United?”
67 min: This is a very pleasant end-to-end nonsense now. First Aguero scampers into the Everton box to the left of goal after a loose ball, and very nearly crafts an opening. Then up the other end, Barkley sends a long-range snaker towards the bottom left, but it’s easily gathered by Caballero.
65 min: The teams should be level. Everton should be 2-0 up. Barkley brushes Otamendi aside down the Everton left. He’s clear in the area, albeit facing a tight angle. He’s got Lukaku inside as an option, but goes for the curler towards the bottom right. Nope! Lukaku has a face on, and he might have a point.
63 min: Aguero bustles into the area down the right and wins a corner. From the set piece, Fernandinho heads straight at Joel from close distance, and weakly to boot. The teams should be level.
62 min: Predictably, here’s De Bruyne firing a dangerous ball through the Everton box from the right wing. Pulitzer, please! Aguero does his best to latch onto the cross, but Stones eases him out of the way and the danger’s cleared. Then within the minute, De Bruyne again finds space on the right wing. He slips another low cross into the area. Silva cushions it back for Aguero, who should score from the penalty spot but lashes a shot high and wide left.
Updated
60 min: De Bruyne has been very quiet. So much for the entry on 17 minutes. He’s just fallen over.
58 min: A deep cross into the Everton area from the right wing is met by Sagna, six yards out on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. But Coleman is standing his ground, making things awkward, and Sagna’s header sails lamely wide left.
57 min: Deulofeu dances around on the right-hand edge of the City box. He eventually shovels a chip towards the top-left corner. It should be an easy catch for Caballero, but the City keeper flaps a panicked hand at the ball, sending it off towards the left-hand corner flag. The danger’s mopped up by Sagna, but there’s an illustration of City’s inner turmoil at the moment. It’s a very uncertain display by the favourites for this tie.
56 min: Barry slides a ball down the inside-right channel for Barkley, who embarks on a Gazza-style dribble into the area. He nearly works space for a shot, but over-runs the ball slightly, allowing Caballero to come out and knock it against his shins and out for a goal kick. City are hanging on a little here. “I got a tired football joke in my Christmas cracker last year. It simply said ‘Dundee United’.” One guess who Simon McMahon supports, people.
Updated
54 min: An incandescent Pellegrini - well, it’s all relative, but this famously unflappable man is frowning a bit - hooks the idiotic Delph before he gets himself sent off. Jesus Navas comes on in his stead.
52 min: Besic launches a speculative effort from 25 yards on the right. Caballero gathers it easily enough. City need to wake up, or they could soon find themselves in all sorts of bother here.
51 min: Delph is booked for a late slide on Besic. He’s lucky to still be on the pitch, given that earlier challenge on Deulefeu, and needs to calm down lickety-split.
50 min: City haven’t come out for the second half yet. First Deulofeu whips a cross from the right to the far post. Osman can’t quite connect properly with his header. Then Barry slides Barkley in down the left. Barkley whips a low cross through the six-yard box. Lukaku is inches away from connecting with a toe for a certain goal. Or a certain offside goal, as the flag would surely have gone up again. Whatever, City aren’t on their game at all here.
49 min: Baines gets himself out of a tight spot on the left and flicks the ball inside for Barkley, who’s free in the area. But his shot is wild, and once again the flag goes up for offside anyway.
48 min: Osman plants his studs on Sagna’s thigh. He should be in the book, too. But again the referee swans around in the insouciant style. The game restarts. Deulofeu curls into the City box from deep on the right. Lukaku has a yard on Demichelis, and hoicks a dreadful first-time shot over the bar from 12 yards, but his blushes are saved, as he’s well offside.
Updated
46 min: Delph tosses Deulofeu into the air like an old sock. Utterly pointless, as the Everton man was deep inside his own half. Delph really should have been booked for that, but he escapes censure. “Putting tired football jokes to bed (33 min)?” begins an opportunist Matt Dony. “Ah well, the Fiver was fun while it lasted.” Was it? “While we’re at it, can we also retire the ‘Of course, only people from outside Manchester support United, fnarr fnarr,’ line? Even as a Liverpool fan, this has gone too far.”
And we're off again!
A lot of football to be played in both ties, of course. But we may as well say it: as things stand, it’ll be a Merseyside cup final, the first in this competition since 1984. City get the ball rolling for the second half. They’ve replaced Mangala with Demichelis. Meanwhile Osman has come on for Cleverley.
Half-time Evertonian entertainment:
Starring Bill Dean, a man who took his stage name from a certain striker of the 1920s and 1930s.
HALF TIME: Everton 1-0 Manchester City
Well, that suddenly came to life.
GOAL! Everton 1-0 Manchester City (Funes Mori 45+1)
There will be two added minutes. Everton win a corner on the right. It’s headed over by Sagna. The second finds Barkley to the left of the D. He hammers a shot straight at Caballero, who parries. The ball breaks loose. City’s defence, to a man, stand still. Funes Mori is the only player to react, and he slams a shot home from eight yards.
Updated
43 min: Suddenly, it’s end to end. Silva jigs down the left and slips the ball forward for Aguero, who looks to have been stopped by Stones, but drags the ball back to make some more space and cracks a shot goalwards from a tight angle. Joel parries brilliantly. City hack clear.
42 min: Everton have the ball in the net again, and once more it’s disallowed. No question about this whatsoever. On the edge of the City area, Deulofeu teases four defenders all at once, drawing them towards him. He flicks it forward to Lukaku, on the penalty spot. Lukaku toe-pokes it past the advancing Caballero, but he’s miles off.
Updated
40 min: Silva chips a ball over the Everton back line for Ageuro, who does rather well to hook the ball back into the box before it flies out for a goal kick. Sadly for City, Aguero can do many things, but he can’t pass to Aguero. There’s nobody else in neon lemon in the box, and Joel gathers.
Updated
39 min: Besic embarks on a baroque jog down the right wing, then slides a pass down the flank with a view of releasing Coleman. But there’s too much pace on it. Goal kick. Everton are slowly getting on top of City here. “Isn’t it flamingoes, rather than ostriches (2 mins) who stand on one leg?” tut-tuts Mac Millings. Oh yes. Ahem. That’s right. I have a cold. “On a related note, if these two teams aren’t making things interesting today, why should I?” My philosophy exactly.
Updated
36 min: Barkley, going round in circles 3o yards from goal, is clipped by Fernandinho. Free kick. Baines chips it towards the left hand post. Barry heads the ball across the face of goal, allowing Stones to slam the ball into the left-hand side of the net. Goal! Disallowed goal! Barry and Funes Mori were both offside as the former set up the header. The correct decision, but how this game needed a goal.
Updated
33 min: City haven’t done a whole lot in attack. Silva, rather frustrated, attempts a shot from some distance. Which leads to more frustration. “Having watched much of the darts World Championship I was not as bothered by the near constant Yaya-Kolo chant as one might think,” begins JR in Illinois. “Having heard it now during this game for the first time since the darts final though I have decided I’ve had enough and would like them to stop it. It’s much worse than the wet, windy Tuesday night in Stoke trope.” That irritating? At least we put that one to bed last night, eh.
30 min: A gorgeous sliderule pass down the right channel by Deulofeu to release Lukaku into the City box. He’s got enough time for a snapshot. Or so he thinks: Otamendi comes sliding across to block brilliantly. Deulofeu, following up, takes up possession of the loose ball on the right, and once again proves himself totally incapable of delivering a simple cross. So frustrating, given his talent.
Updated
29 min: Another corner for City down the right. The ball ends up at the feet of Aguero, just to the left of the D. The striker creams a shot on the turn, presumably looking for the top right. The ball sails serenely into the stand.
Updated
26 min: Cleverley slides a pass down the right for Deulofeu, who is in space on the wing and has men in the box. But instead of crossing he opts to lash an absurdly ambitious shot from a tight angle towards the bottom-right corner. He only succeeds in finding the side netting, which is exactly the outcome you’d have bet the farm on.
25 min: Barkley and Besic take turns to shimmy and shake down the inside-left channel and into the City area. But on both occasions they find themselves in a lemon crush. City hack clear.
24 min: And so having said that, City nearly go ahead, winning a corner on the right, Otamendi heading downwards and just wide of the right-hand post from six yards. The game’s picked up. Lovely. Semi-final football, right here!
Updated
22 min: Baines goes on a purposeful run down the inside-left channel. He’s speeding along, and is upended unceremoniously by Fernandinho. Free kick, 35 yards out. Baines takes the kick himself, and curls a lovely outswinger towards the far post. Lukaku isn’t far away from connecting. Ditto Stones. But neither can manage it, and the ball flies out of play to the right of goal. This is better from Everton, who have swung the possession pendulum with extreme prejudice, and have enjoyed 66% of the ball during the last ten minutes.
20 min: Barkley makes a bit of space down the left and swings a ball into the City box. Otamendi heads behind for a corner. The set piece is a complete waste of time, easily cleared by City. Drama, please, someone! Anyone! From somewhere! Anywhere!
19 min: De Bruyne, 35 yards out down the left, tries to replicate Robbie Fowler’s goal for Liverpool in the 2001 final against Birmingham City. Nope!
17 min: But it’s hellishly difficult to keep that man De Bruyne quiet. He drives down the middle of the park, and very nearly completes a mid-range one-two with Silva to his left. If he’d picked up the high-velocity return pass, he’d have been in plenty of room on the edge of the area, ready to shoot. But not quite. Everton hearts in mouths for a second or two, though.
Updated
16 min: It hasn’t quite taken off, this match, yet. Everton have quelled City’s early fury. But they’re still not doing much up front, so it’s a bit of a non-event right now.
15 min: A couple of minutes pass as the physio runs the rule over Barkley. The player hobbles off, but eventually re-enters the fray, sending a signal to the fans by sprinting ostentatiously, the international language for Not Seriously Injured.
Updated
12 min: Lukaku, on the edge of the City area, heads an old-school, Cosgrove-approved long ball down towards Barkley. The young midfielder sticks his right foot out to bring it under control, and is kicked on the back of the leg by Fernandinho. An accidental challenge, but he goes down holding his calf and doesn’t look very happy at all.
9 min: City have enjoyed the best part of 70% possession so far. The crowd is pretty quiet as a result, the away end excepted. “Martinez’s pre-match comments made for delightful reading,” writes Michael Cosgrove. “Excitement, long balls, open game, positive football, it’s almost like the old days.”
7 min: Everton haven’t shown anything going forward yet. Barkley tries to get things going with a long ball down the middle for Lukaku to chase after, but Mangala steps up to intercept without fuss.
6 min: Delph, Clichy and De Bruyne combine down the inside-left channel with some nifty, quick passing. Everton are fortunate that Coleman is alert and on hand to batter the ball away in the uncompromising style.
4 min: Besic clips Toure, 30 yards from goal. The free kick, lumped into the box, leads to a corner on the left. Silva takes, and finds Toure on the edge of the box. Toure shapes like Zidane to lash a shot goalwards, but is closed down in double-quick time by a swarm of blue shirts. City on the front foot here, though.
2 min: A slightly inauspicious start by Cleverley. He’s got time down the left, cocks his leg back to clip a pass forward, pauses, and sees the ball poked away by De Bruyne. He’s left standing there on one leg, an Umbro-clad ostrich. The only way is up.
And we're off!
Everton get the ball rolling, amid bedlam. They stroke it around for 20 seconds before Cleverley tries to get a bit too expansive early doors, and loses possession with a long crossfield lump. “Did Martinez really say ‘an exciting game, especially for the neutral’?” asks Steven Forstneger. “I guess that would explain those silly, two-team scarves.” Hey, he’s just trying to spread the love.
The teams are out! A grand old atmosphere at Goodison as you’d expect: not only is it the semi-final of a major tournament, it’s also a Granadaland derby. Everton sport their famous royal blue, while Manchester City are decked out in third-choice neon lemon. Third-choice neon lemon. If you know your history, it’s enough to make your heart go oh-oh-oh-oh.
Manuel Pellegrini promises excitement too, albeit in more gnomic fashion. “We know this is a game of 180 minutes. It’s important to try to get a good result against a good team. We have no special plans for Lukaku. He is not the only danger they have in their attack. They have other very good players. Everton play attractive, offensive football.”
Roberto Martinez promises excitement and a few long balls. “We want to enjoy these sort of games. These sort of games are the footballing occasions we want at our football club. Our history and pedigree demands it. We are delighted to look forward to tonight, and want to make sure we’re in these situations more often. That way, silverware is more likely to come back to Everton. We want to keep the ball to open teams up, but if we are pressed we should be able to use a different route. Expect a really open game with a lot of chances and really positive football. An exciting game, especially for the neutral.”
Everton make three changes to the team that started against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Joel Robles comes in for Tim Howard, as ever in the League Cup. Muhamed Besic and Gerard Deulofeu return to the first XI too, replacing Aaron Lennon and Arouna Kone.
City change their goalkeeper for the cup too: Willy Caballero replaces Joe Hart. And like Everton, they make two outfield changes from their weekend starting XI, at Watford, as well: Gael Clichy takes the place of Aleksandar Kolarov, while Fabian Delph comes in for Raheem Sterling.
Tonight's teams
Everton: Joel, Coleman, Stones, Funes Mori, Baines, Besic, Barry, Deulofeu, Barkley, Cleverley, Lukaku.
Subs: Jagielka, Kone, Mirallas, Lennon, Osman, Howard, Galloway.
Manchester City: Caballero, Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Clichy, Fernandinho, Delph, Silva, Toure, De Bruyne, Aguero.
Subs: Hart, Fernando, Sterling, Kolarov, Jesus Navas, Demichelis, Iheanacho.
Referee: Robert Madley (West Yorkshire).
Updated
Good evening!
Everton haven’t had much luck in the League Cup. One of the grandest clubs in the country, and they’ve never won English football’s third prize. It’s not all their fault. They’ve reached the final twice, and on both occasions the football gods weren’t in the mood to humour them. In 1977, they lost an epic three-game affair with Aston Villa, in which Chris Nicholl scored from the best part of 40 yards. Welt!
That doesn’t happen too often. Then in 1984, they were denied victory over Liverpool at Wembley when saucy Alan Hansen handled Adrian Heath’s shot on the line. Sure enough, the unfortunate Toffees then lost the replay to a Graeme Souness belter. Third time lucky? You can’t say they’re not due.
They’ll have to get to the final first, of course. And it’s Manchester City who stand in their way. City will be approaching this tie in a more relaxed manner, one would assume, the club having already won this trophy three times, in 1970, 1976 and 2014. There’s less historical baggage. They’re also on a decent run against their hosts: they’ve won on two of their last three visits to Goodison Park, and have prevailed in four of the past five meetings between the two sides.
So the hosts will need to up their game. City haven’t been firing on all cylinders this season, not by their own high standards anyway. But most teams would settle for their problems in a heartbeat: three points off the pace in the Premier League, finally looking the part in the Champions League, and now a cup final on the horizon. Not half bad when you’ve yet to properly click.
Everton however, while highly entertaining in attack, are seriously flattering to deceive. Since hitting Sunderland for six and putting four past Aston Villa in November, they’ve failed to win again at Goodison, mainly as a result of their shipping goals at an alarming rate: three to Leicester, four to Stoke. At least Romelu Lukaku has been in form up the other end: he’s scored seven and set up three in his last six home appearances. His defenders owe him a big performance, then, especially as Yaya Toure is also in hot-shot form: the City midfielder has scored three in his last four Premier League matches.
Given Everton’s poor recent record at City - they’ve lost on three of their last four visits - they’ll be desperate for a positive result tonight. An open, attacking approach should lead to quite a match. It’s the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals, and [adopts unsettling Martin Tyler growl] it’s on!
Kick off: 8pm.
Updated
