Man City vs Liverpool LIVE: Carabao Cup result and final score ahead of draw – City win thriller to reach quarter-finals

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after Manchester City’s win, Nathan Ake said: “Last week was a bit strange, people came back at different times and then straight away had to play an intense game against Liverpool and it’s not easy.

“They have quality players, we should have done better on goals but we managed to score more goals than them. There are things to improve, but for the first leg it was good. It was another top top ball from Kevin [De Bruyne] and I had to score that.

“You’ve been away for a month and the national team is different, then suddenly you’re back. Strange but good, as a player you want to be part of such big tournaments.

The reaction after the game from Andy Robertson, who said: “There were positives, creating chances, sometimes we looked good on the ball but there were also mistakes. It’s our first second leg in a long time and it’s not often that you play your first second leg against Manchester City.

“We wanted to stay in this cup, we know how much joy we had last season. Ultimately disappointing but looking at the clips we can take away some positives.

“It’s a good game, both groups of players were on their feet, we always improve our games against each other. We didn’t start well, we went behind, Fabio scored a great goal, we fell behind early in the second half, reacted so well, had a couple of chances, then we substituted on a short corner.

“These are things that can’t happen – their dressing room will be a lot happier than ours.”

Manchester City goalscorer Riyad Mahrez spoke to Sky Sports after the game and said: “It’s always good to score and help the team win. Overall we were very good today and deserved to win.

“Everyone came back with a very good mentality and ready for a fresh start. It was a tough opponent at the beginning.

“We beat Chelsea and Liverpool [in the Carabao Cup already] so we’ll see [who we get in the next round]. But we will take it game by game and focus on the next Premier League game, which is the most important for us at the moment.”

Nathan Ake headed the winner as Manchester City beat rivals Liverpool 3-2 in a five-goal thriller to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

The Dutchman converted a superb Kevin De Bruyne cross just before the hour mark at the Etihad Stadium to give City a third and decisive lead on Thursday.

Liverpool had canceled previous City goals from prolific Erling Haaland and Riyad Mahrez through Fabio Carvalho and Mohamed Salah respectively.

City’s win ended Liverpool’s reign as holders and kept Pep Guardiola’s side on course for a fifth win in the competition in six seasons.

The experience of the Polish referee Szymon Marciniak as an amateur player, who was showered for his sovereign performance in the World Cup final last Sunday, caused a stir.

Webb, who mentored Marciniak early in his career, believes greater efforts to attract ex-professionals to refereeing could help raise standards and keep the officials’ production line running.

It’s debatable how many of the world’s best managers can be found at the World Cup these days, but two of the best have been found at the Carabao Cup, bringing attention back to domestic duty in typically convincing fashion. This is not the trophy Pep Guardiola admitted to ending his time at Manchester City. But as he dreams of the Champions League, he’s inching closer to a record-breaking fifth trophy, eliminating holders Liverpool FC and beating old nemesis Jurgen Klopp.

It was the night that club play returned with a vengeance, drawing the attention of its international counterparts, suggesting standards could be higher here, showing many of the sport’s top strikers have not been in the last month Qatar could be seen. Three of them scored in Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez and Mohamed Salah, although the match-winner in Nathan Ake was the only World Cup quarter-finalist to start.

The standout figure of the night was arguably one of the World Cup’s greatest underachievers in Kevin de Bruyne, who set up City’s first and third goals. After controversially, albeit correctly, believing Belgium to be too old to succeed in Qatar, it seems more likely that he will secure silver in his club’s colours.

If it’s a time of year for Christians to celebrate, Christian Eriksen had little to enjoy this month. He must have imagined his first game in December being in the World Cup round of 16 for Denmark, not in the Carabao Cup round of 16 for Manchester United. But after the anti-climax of underperformance on the global stage, he has at least put United on the path to a less prestigious trophy. Maybe he dreamed of competing against Argentina; instead he hit Burnley.

Marcus Rashford, who scored three goals in Qatar, maintained his fine form and topped a 50-yard solo run with one shot to defeat the Clarets, and life after Cristiano Ronaldo began with a comfortable win. With three of the rumored big six already eliminated and one more to follow on Thursday, United have reason to believe their debut season under Erik ten Hag can bring glory.

They’ve gotten back into action, and if others are looking for a mix between those who had five weeks off, those who were underused, underused or unsuccessful at the World Cup, and those who ventured deep into the tournament, Ten Hag found a formula. He started with five of his World Cup contenders, including three quarter-finalists: Rashford scored, Bruno Fernandes played with some incisive passes and Casemiro sauntered through the game, playing at center-back in the absence of the ailing Harry Maguire. He magically sent a clearance to the goal line after the error-prone, unpredictable Martin Dubravka charged and missed a cross.

Quarterfinals: week commencing January 9, 2023

Semi-finals: 1st leg – week beginning 23 January; Second leg – week beginning 30 January

Finals: Sunday 26 February 2023

The draw for the next round of the Carabao Cup will take place around 10:30 p.m. Here are the teams remaining in the competition and the number they were assigned for the draw.

7. Wolverhampton Walkers