Everton turned the screw early in the second half as Lukaku's
physicality proved difficult for City's defence to handle, but the
visitors were unlucky not to level on 60 minutes when Sergio Aguero
sliced a good chance wide.
Lukaku gives Everton narrow advantage over City(Reuters)
Everton drew first blood in their League Cup semi-final against Manchester City as Romelu Lukaku's second-half header secured a potentially precious 2-1 home win in the first leg on Wednesday.
City's Jesus Navas had only moments before cancelled out Ramiro Funes Mori's first-half opener, when Lukaku struck in the 78th minute, rising unchallenged to head home Gareth Barry's arcing left-wing cross.
The
goal gave Everton, who have never won the League Cup, a deserved
advantage to take into the second leg on Jan. 27 after they dominated
proceedings at Goodison Park and restricted City to infrequent
counter-attacks.
Awaiting the winners in the final
will be either Liverpool or Stoke City, with Everton's Merseyside
rivals holding a 1-0 advantage after the first leg.
The early stages panned out exactly as City manager Manuel Pellegrini
would have hoped, the visitors hogging possession, pegging Everton back
in their own half and silencing the home crowd in their bid for a
fourth League Cup triumph.
Yet they failed to
convert that dominance into meaningful chances with Nicolas Otamendi
heading the best opportunity of the opening half wide, before Everton
clawed their way into the game.
The hosts had two
goals chalked off for offside before they made their mark on the
scoreboard, John Stones and Lukaku putting the ball in the net only to
have celebrations curtailed by the linesman's flag.
There
was also a hint of offside about the opener when Lukaku appeared to be
standing behind the last defender and potentially in City keeper Willy
Caballero's line of sight when he parried Ross Barkley's firm shot into
the path of Funes Mori.
The Argentine controlled the ball well and fired past City's stand-in keeper in first-half stoppage time.
Everton
turned the screw early in the second half as Lukaku's physicality
proved difficult for City's defence to handle, but the visitors were
unlucky not to level on 60 minutes when Sergio Aguero sliced a good
chance wide.
The more Everton pushed for a second goal, however, the further ajar they left the door for a City counter.
Kevin
De Bruyne served warning by forcing Everton's stand-in keeper Joel
Robles into a superb save with a curling shot from 20 metres before
Navas punished the hosts on the break, latching on to Aguero's pass to
finish across the keeper.
That lead lasted just
two minutes as Everton immediately struck back when Lukaku rose to head
home Barry's sumptuous cross from the left flank and City mustered
little in the closing stages.
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