HOLDERS MANCHESTER CITY can look forward to defending the League Cup in next month’s final at Wembley as Gabriel Jesus struck four goals in a 9-0 thrashing of Burton Albion in their semi-final, first leg on Wednesday.
Kevin de Bruyne, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and Riyad Mahrez were also on target against Nigel Clough’s League One side as City ensured their visit to the Pirelli Stadium on January 23 is a mere formality.
After also thrashing Rotherham 7-0 in the FA Cup on Sunday with a much-changed side, Pep Guardiola was able to again hand a rest to a number of his key players but named a strong side with De Bruyne continuing his comeback from injury.
And the Belgian set the tone for the evening by heading City into a fifth-minute lead as he timed his run into the box perfectly to head home David Silva’s cross.
Clough admitted before the game it would take a “miracle” for Burton to blunt the Premier League champions’ might over two legs.
So it proved, but the visitors missed a glorious chance to get straight back on level terms when Marcus Harness blasted over Lucas Akins’s cross when completely unmarked inside the penalty box.
It took City until the half hour mark to double their advantage, but a glut of three goals in seven minutes followed to put the tie to bed before the break.
9 - Manchester City's 9-0 win against Burton Albion is the largest ever margin of victory in the semi-finals of an English cup competition. Answer. https://t.co/4Ij0UHu2HI
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 9, 2019
Jesus headed home his first from close range after Bradley Collins had denied Leroy Sane before the Brazilian slotted home Silva’s cushioned pass via the inside of the post.
City didn’t need any luck, but still got some when Zinchenko’s intended cross then looped over Collins to make it 4-0.
Other sides may have slacked off in the second period, but with competitions for places so fierce among Guardiola’s side, the hosts were ruthless to match the Catalan’s biggest ever win as a coach.
Jesus powered home a header to complete his second hat-trick of the season.
De Bruyne was then replaced by home favourite Foden, who was surprisingly left out the stating XI, just before the hour mark.
It took just four minutes for the 18-year-old to score his third City goal as he profited from the rebound after Collins did well to parry Jesus’s first effort.
Jesus did soon have his fourth with a delicate finish from Sane’s cross and City’s dominance was summed up when right-back Kyle Walker strode forward to fire home his side’s eighth of the evening.
Mahrez made it nine seven minutes from time and those City fans still in the Etihad cried for a historic 10th.
But that was the only thing City fell short of on the night with a final meeting against Tottenham or Chelsea on February 24 guaranteed.
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COME ON UNITED. #GGMU
@Gavin Mitchell: can’t beat long ball game !
@James Brown: Don’t be sour
@Gavin MitchellGood win, tactics spot on and second secured…
Hated adored!!!!
Cmon UTD, go to town on them now, they’re certainly there for the taking today.
Absolutely clueless from Klopp.
Too nervous to say anything other than c’mon the Pool!!
As I said Yesterday ,Dejan Lovren …. funniest stand up act around
Game over I’m afraid.
@Robert Clifford: Really!!??
@Jack Jackson: Yes. I hope I’m proved wrong.
@Jack Jackson: Yep really.
This is great fun
United to park the bus and get an offside handball goal that went out for a throw in seconds earlier in the 97th minute of injury time.
@Gabe: or score a nicely finished goal & lead within 15mins. One or the other!
From a neutral perspective – Jose is a proven winner, Jurgen is not, having said that , I would go for a tight 1-1 draw.
@George Costanza: 2 German league titles??
@Mark Noonan: Cork or Dundalk would finish top 6 in that league get a grip
@Anthony Whelan: so it’s easy to finish above Bayern is it? Tool
King Salah 3-0 LFC YNWA 2019 IS OUR YEAR!
@Football nut99: so much for that anyway haha 2020 it is!
@Sledro: every year is your year!!!
Why wasn’t Rashford booked for celebrating with the crowd after scoring his first? He should be off after that yellow for the challenge on Milner.
@Stephen Keane:
Don’t be talking rubbish. Milner is well able to look after himself and leave the boot in more often than not.
@David Sinclair: he got a yellow for the challenge. I’m saying it should have been a second yellow.
@Stephen Keane: And if a Liverpool player got sent off for that you’d have a different story.
The question you should be asking is why your utter clown of a manager keeps picking the comedy gold that is Dejan Lovren . I’ve seen Sunday league defenders with a smell of liquor off them that have a better command of the penalty box.
@Stephen Keane: he should have been off. Any neutral can see that. Two penalties too.
Didn’t see the match did Salah play
Mata starting hardly calls for parking it, hopefully in as a No.10 rather than out wide. Great to see Bailly back, big loss all season hasn’t played since Nov.. still worth a punt over lindelof. Prefer Shaw over Young but understand going for experience. Big game for VVD, Lovern will need to be covered for
Wow… Rashford on fire…I’ll gloat after 90 minutes.
Looking at the teams, it should be a stroll in the park for Liverpool today. 2-0 to the reds #YNWA
@Seàn Mc: You were saying?
#GGMU
@Seàn Mc: Good luck with that !
@Seàn Mc: LOL
@James Reardon: Its turning in a hiding after 30 minutes .. YEAHHHHH
@Gavin Mitchell: In fairness, he did say 2-0 to the reds!
@Link: 2-1 Lets go!
@Seàn Mc: it’s our year lol delusional pool fans
But the best attacking team in Europe lol
No Pogba to slow utd down that’s the difference.
Liverpool didn’t even test De Gea
Come on the pool. come on ireland.
Jamie(Englands Envy) must be at the game,poor coverage at times at Old Trafford.
Not bad eh Jamie?
It’s a game now and it really shouldn’t be. Should have been over at half time
Hahahahahaha
Just nothing better than beating Liverpool. They are the worst fans in sport. Such a moany bunch.
Can see it going one of two ways…0-0 draw or Liverpool running away with it
I hope this doesn’t come back to bite me
Should have kept my mouth shut
@Kian: hahaha, keep talking
@Kian: ooopps
@Back pass: if it keeps going like this I’ll be absent from here for a while lol
@Kian: fair play it’s only a bit of banter draw looking likely
@Back pass: think draw would have been fair, but can’t begrudge Utd the win, solid defense…could have had a couple of pens but that’s the game. Least it wasn’t a bore draw this time, more like the game it should be
Liverpool haven’t turned up. Liverpool asleep.
Mourinho is klopping Klopp at the moment.
Bad defensive performance from Liverpool. Arnold having a shocker unfortunately. Rashford is a great player. Can’t see us getting anything from this now being 2 behind but if we do it’ll come from Smalling because he is a liability in that united defence.
Sweet :-)
This game will outline just how defensive Mourinho is. Practically a dead rubber and Moaninho will STILL park the bus
@Colin Ahern: ha ha ha how’s that prediction working out? Clown
@FPL Thommo: Comedy gold from poo fans
@Colin Ahern: Colin you clown, on her bike pal
@Colin Ahern: Spot on Colin. Good call
Palace were a tougher challenge. Mata… beautiful should of killed the game off in the 1st 40 mins
Liverpools beautiful attacking flair to be stumped by a lump up to fellani to lay off to Lukaku with 2 mins left on the clock. I could picture a bomb going off in every Liverpool supporters head, Aaah that would be brilliant
Well let’s be honest, we were well beaten today, Liverpool always get nervous when we go to old Trafford! Hope this doesn’t wreck our season
We know there’s a change in the football climate when you here the two of these fighting over second place like it’s the title. Anyway….I expect a tight game today with a 1:1 result.
@Jack Jackson: Or “hear” rather before some smarta** points it out……:)
Right 2-1 United. Lukaku,Sanchez
Mane
Just got a notification for a goal. High priority notifications my arse. Most people don’t care.
@Daddy Long Legs: You get notifications once you enter the article. You can turn them off then if you want. What I can’t understand is how you got a notification because if you don’t care then you surely didn’t click into the article! Very confusing..
Sanchez is very poor. Giving ball away a lot again today. Probably needs to calm down, make sure he’s in possession of the ball befor he tries to flick it on.
Get in there. Pool getting a wake up call. Great stuff. Defense still shite
Cmon Liverpool
Do Manchester United own the FA? Most biased referee I’ve ever seen. Liverpool are rubbish anyway so don’t know why they were so confident…
City for the next five years… love oil !!!!!!!!! Blue mooooooonnnn
@James Brown: haha ya thick
Stick Virgil on Lukaku that first goal doesn’t happen. Rashford playing well for you. Reckon we can come back tho
@Ollie Watson: Jesus I can’t see it at the moment.
Very poor reactions from De Gea there
Liverpool are doing fantastic they are club who trades heavily on its history. It’s credit to there owners and management that despite been a selling club and being stepping stone for ambitious players who want to win things. They continue to keep producing players for the big clubs. Despite Wigan winning bigger trophies In the last ten years its credit to them and also the fans who continue to give fanatic support to a club going nowhere. Well done Liverpool
with 5 mins to go, come on the ‘Pool.