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How Manchester City reached the EFL Cup final

How Manchester City reached the EFL Cup final
© Reuters
City's route to the final.

Manchester City will take on Aston Villa in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

City are attempting to successfully defend their title and lift the trophy for the fourth time in five seasons.

Here, the PA news agency looks back over the five matches that took Pep Guardiola’s side into the final.

Round three: Preston 0 Man City 3

Raheem Sterling, hidden, celebrates at Deepdale
Raheem Sterling, hidden, celebrates at Deepdale (Richard Sellers/PA)

City kicked off their quest for a third straight League Cup in style as they breezed to victory over Preston at Deepdale. First-half goals from Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus and a Ryan Ledson own goal wrapped victory up early for Pep Guardiola’s men.

Round four: Man City 3 Southampton 1

Nicolas Otamendi, right, was on the scoresheet against Southampton
Nicolas Otamendi, right, was on the scoresheet against Southampton (Nick Potts/PA)

Sergio Aguero scored twice as City beat a Southampton side still shell-shocked by their 9-0 defeat to Leicester four days earlier. Nicolas Otamendi headed the opener before Aguero’s double, while Jack Stephens headed a late consolation for the Saints.

Quarter-final: Oxford 1 Man City 3

Raheem Sterling was at the double against Oxford
Raheem Sterling continued his scoring streak at Oxford (Mike Egerton/PA)

City relied on Raheem Sterling to dig them out of a hole against resolute Oxford at the Kassam Stadium. Joao Cancelo’s opener was cancelled out by Matty Taylor’s equaliser for the hosts and, despite Sterling’s late double, it was far from plain sailing for Guardiola’s men.

Semi-final: Man City 3 Man United 2 (on aggregate)

Bernardo Silva, left, scored a stunner at Old Trafford
Bernardo Silva, left, scored a stunner at Old Trafford (Martin Rickett/PA)

City took a huge step towards Wembley by outclassing their derby rivals at Old Trafford. Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and an Andreas Pereira own goal gave the visitors a 3-0 lead at the break and it could have been more. Marcus Rashford’s second-half strike gave United a glimmer of hope for the second leg, but a 1-0 win at the Etihad Stadium was not enough for the Red Devils.

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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Fulham125341717018
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle125341313018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


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