Carabao Cup: City knocks out holders Liverpool

Nathan Ake celebrates his goal that proved to be the winner against Liverpool on Thursday. City bundled out the holders 3-2. (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

Manchester City looks like a team that is ready to push Arsenal all the way following their 3-2 entertaining win over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Thursday night.

The defending champions had to come back twice having conceded quick goals but had no answer to Nathan Ake’s header that proved to be the winning goal in a game where Erling Haaland, Mohammed Salah, Fabio Carvalho, and Riyad Mahrez found the back of the net.

Both sides featured a strong eleven that destroyed all fears of fatigue or player absence. Kevin De Bruyne proved a different animal from the one that didn’t excel at the World Cup for Belgium and he was instrumental to the Cityzen’s mesmerizing win.

It took only ten minutes for a much refreshed Haaland to score but the young Carvalho leveled from a James Milner pass shortly afterward. It was end-to-end for most of the first half but the next goal didn’t arrive until the start of the second half.

From Leicester City to Manchester City, Mahrez would score his first-ever goal against Liverpool just two minutes after the restart and yet again, Liverpool leveled with a simple tap-in by Salah after a neat run by Darwin Nunez.

Just before the hour mark, Nathan Ake rose the highest to head home a De Bruyne cross and that proved to be the winner but Nunez must look into the mirror after missing gilt edged chances that could have taken the game into penalties at least.

Manchester City will go on to the quarter-finals as they also prepare to challenge league leaders Arsenal when football resumes on the league front again on Monday.