Manchester City vs Everton match report: Sergio Aguero heads City into League Cup final in controversial win

Manchester City 3 Everton 1 (City win 4-3 on aggregate)

Sergio Aguero celebrates his decisive goal with Kevin De Bruyne and Jesus Navas (Getty Images)

It takes more than good judgement to enjoy success as a football manager. A large slice of good fortune also comes in useful at key moments and Manuel Pellegrini enjoyed his fair share of the latter as Manchester City overcame Everton to book a place in the Capital One Cup final.

City, still pursuing four trophies this season, will face Liverpool at Wembley on 28 February after Pellegrini’s second-half decision to replace Yaya Touré with Kevin De Bruyne reaped huge dividends. The Belgian scored one and made another to deny Everton a date with their Merseyside rivals.

But De Bruyne’s 70th-minute goal, which levelled this semi-final on aggregate, will torment Evertonians for years to come with Raheem Sterling crossing the ball to the £54.5m summer signing after it had gone out of play.

Referee Martin Atkinson and his assistants failed to spot that the ball crossed the touchline before Sterling pulled it back, but it was the decisive moment of the game.

Everton, having taken an early lead through Ross Barkley, were angered and deflated before Sergio Aguero put the tie beyond them six minutes later with a header from De Bruyne’s cross.

The former Chelsea midfielder ended the game being carried off on a stretcher but he certainly repaid his manager’s faith in the short time he was on the pitch.

Events at Anfield 24 hours earlier had turned an already huge occasion into something altogether different for Everton. Liverpool’s success in booking their place in next month’s final via a 6-5 penalty shoot-out victory against Stoke City had placed an even greater intensity on Everton to negotiate this second leg and earn the right to face their neighbours at Wembley.

Without a trophy since the 1995 FA Cup and having failed to progress to the League Cup final since losing in a replay to yes, Liverpool, in 1984, Roberto Martinez’s players had enough ghosts to exorcise without having to worry about the anguish of missing out on a chance to take on Jürgen Klopp’s men at Wembley.

But backed by 9,000 noisy supporters from the blue half of Merseyside, Everton chose to meet the challenge of overcoming City head on.

There were no thoughts of sitting back and attempting to defend their 2-1 first-leg advantage. If Everton were to make it to the final, they were going to do it the only they know how under their Spanish manager, by going for the win.

Martinez and Everton have appeared naive at times by playing without any kind of restraint, but with City compromised by their own defensive shortcomings, perhaps fighting fire with fire was always likely to be the best policy at the Etihad.

Replays show the ball was out of play before Sterling cross (Sky Sports)

City certainly did their best to inject some fight and passion into the proceedings prior to the game. An intensive drive to sell tickets for the tie paid off, with the stadium virtually full on a filthy night in Manchester when it would have been easier to stay indoors, and the handing out of inflatable bananas – a nod to the bizarre trend that began at Maine Road in the late 1980s – added to the lively atmosphere inside the ground.

But Everton were in no mood to be mere bystanders at City’s Wembley party and they started the game with real intent. Gerard Deulofeu tore down the right on four minutes, breaking into the penalty area before failing to pick out the unmarked Barkley and Romelu Lukaku.

It was a warning to City, though, and Everton deservedly took the lead – moving 3-1 ahead on aggregate – when Barkley scored a stunning goal on 18 minutes. City were rightly angered by Atkinson’s failure to award a free-kick following a heavy challenge by Ramiro Funes Mori on Aguero but Everton played on, with Leon Osman breaking clear before releasing Barkley just inside the City half.

The England midfielder burst forward, slipped through the gears and headed directly for goal as City’s defence parted, leaving a gap through which he unleashed a low shot past goalkeeper Willy Caballero from 20 yards.

City responded well, Sterling forcing a saved from Joel Robles from 20 yards before Touré shot over from just inside the penalty area.

The equaliser came on 24 minutes when Aguero’s shot was blocked by Phil Jagielka and Fernandinho scored from 20 yards with a strike which deflected off Leighton Baines and past the helpless Robles.

Kevin De Bruyne leaves the field on a stretcher (Getty Images)

City still trailed in the tie, however, and they needed another goal to move level. It almost came when Aguero rattled the post on 36 minutes, with Robles saving David Silva’s follow-up shot. But Everton held firm and continued to threaten another goal on the counter-attack.

The 0-0 draw played out between these two teams in the Premier League at the Etihad a fortnight ago only served to underline Everton’s ability to get under City’s skin. But as they approached the second half, Martinez and his players faced a conundrum. Do they go for the third goal to kill the tie off, or sit back and hope to frustrate and repel a team with countless attacking talents?

By replacing Fabian Delph with Jesus Navas at the interval, Pellegrini made it clear that his team would up the ante and go for broke, so Everton were faced with a rearguard action.

Navas, whose awareness often fails to measure up to his pace, instantly made a difference, first crossing for Aguero to miskick wide from six yards before teeing up Pablo Zabaleta to deliver a pinpoint cross for Silva, who headed against the post.

Pellegrini’s switch changed the tempo of the game and Everton were forced to drop deeper in an attempt to defend the 18-yard line and nullify the winger’s threat.

But City kept coming and it required a crucial block by Tom Cleverley on 59 minutes to prevent Sterling’s shot from beating Robles.

Inevitably, Everton’s resistance buckled, with De Bruyne’s goal lifting the roof of the Etihad. By the time Aguero scored to make it 3-1 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate, the momentum had already swung in City’s favour and Everton were simply waiting for the killer blow to land.

So no Merseyside day out. It is Manchester versus Liverpool instead and Wembley can expect a final to remember.