Manchester City have all but assured their place in the final of the Capital One Cup after they thrashed West Ham United 6-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

Striker Alvaro Negredo was the star of the show, netting three times in the opening 49 minutes, while Yaya Toure also scored as City opened up a 4-0 lead.

Edin Dzeko added a further two goals in the second half as City coasted to a dominating victory to put them on the brink of their second Wembley final in the space of nine months.

Here, Sports Mole analyses the game to see if Manchester City were deserving of such a commanding advantage after the first leg.

Match statistics

Manchester City
Shots: 32
On target: 11
Possession: 69%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 7

West Ham United
Shots: 3
On target: 1
Possession: 31%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 9

Was the result fair?

There won't be a fairer result, and scoreline, all season. From start to finish, Manchester City were relentless with their possession of the ball, and ability to find the killer pass to create chances in and around the penalty area. As for West Ham United, as soon as they retreated to the edge of their own penalty area, they were there for the taking, and the home side took full advantage to heap further misery on Sam Allardyce.

Manchester City's performance

We shouldn't be surprised at the quality of Manchester City's play, but they continue to look a remarkably powerful outfit, full of skill and efficiency too. Whether it's down to Vincent Kompany's leadership in defence or Toure controlling the game in midfield, Manuel Pellegrini's team look unbeatable on their home turf, and they didn't allow West Ham a look in on Wednesday evening. The second leg could be a very long 90 minutes for the Hammers.

West Ham United's performance

When West Ham lost 5-0 to Nottingham Forest at the weekend, Allardyce would have been hoping that it couldn't get any worse for his side, but tonight, it did. The Hammers look a team bereft of confidence, and although Allardyce has done a decent job at Upton Park since he arrived in East London, it could be time for him to leave. Whoever you are playing against, you can't allow any side to have 32 shots on goal in a semi-final, and that statistic is made worse by West having failing to register a shot on goal in the second half.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Alvaro Negredo: Toure was as commanding as ever in midfield, while David Silva and Samir Nasri also had impressive outings. However, after three excellent strikes, this accolade has to go to Negredo. All three of his goals came with his left foot, and each of them were glorious finishes into the corner. The Spaniard has proven to be a vital figure in the absence of Sergio Aguero, and he continued his hot streak in front of goal with a treble of the highest quality this evening.

Biggest gaffe

It would be easy to say that the biggest gaffe was West Ham signing Roger Johnson before the game, because the Wolverhampton Wanderers added nothing to a defence who looked incredibly weak. While no particular gaffe stood out, Johnson was one of a number of players who stood off Toure as he made his way towards goal just before half time, and that error ensured that the match was out of the reach of West Ham.

Referee performance

Jon Moss had nothing to do at the Etihad Stadium. He could be criticised for failing to dish out a yellow card to both Dzeko and Joey O'Brien after they clashed in the second half, but other than that, Moss was allowed an easy night. He did, however, create a few laughs after slipping over in the opening 10 minutes of the match.

What next?

Manchester City: City face a busy couple of weeks, starting with a trip to Newcastle United at the weekend. An FA Cup replay with Blackburn Rovers follows, before they host Cardiff City.

West Ham United: West Ham travel to Cardiff City at the weekend, with three points likely being necessary if Sam Allardyce is to keep his job, if he is still in charge come the weekend.