West Ham United have ended Manchester City’s supreme reign in the EFL Cup, knocking them out on penalties to reach the quarter-finals
Manchester City’s 21-game unbeaten run in the EFL Cup, which saw them win the tournament four times in a row, has ended. West Ham United’s win over the holders on penalties ensures a different winner will lift the League Cup this season.
The game ended in a goalless draw after the 90 minutes of regulation time, meaning the tie would be decided on penalties. West Ham dispatched each of their five spot-kicks with confidence, but Manchester City never got the chance for a fifth shot after Phil Foden missed his, being the team’s first taker.
On to the game, it was a cagey affair, with chances coming at a premium. Barring some notable efforts from Mark Noble and a speculative Kevin De Bruyne cross, thwarted by Craig Dawson, both teams generally struggled for relevance. Raheem Sterling’s free header at the end of second half injury time was the clearest chance in the game, only for the Manchester City star to head straight at Alphonse Areola.
Full-time whistle beckoned, with the Hammers given major hope of advancing in the tournament. West Ham duly took their opportunity to seal a popular win on penalties, booking their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over both the sets of players.
WOW! Special team. Special moment. ? pic.twitter.com/GdHmk8DhQa
— West Ham United (@WestHam) October 28, 2021
West Ham United
Alphonse Areola: 8/10
Alphonse Areola should be adjudged as the man of the match for his composure and the smart saves that kept the Hammers in the game. While the chances during the game came at a premium for both sides, Manchester City could dispatch them rather dangerously, only for the Frenchman to save whatever came his way.
Ben Johnson: 7/10
Johnson is proving to be every bit the perfect deputy for Vladimir Coufal in the Czech’s absence. And, despite having played plenty of full games in a row, he never looked jaded and put in a rather energetic performance to keep things tight on the right-wing against Manchester City’s dangerous wide attackers.
Craig Dawson: 5.5/10
Dawson was often seen reeling from trying to catch up to Manchester City’s attackers, as he was the weaker centre-back in the lineup. He still managed to help West Ham to a clean sheet and a took his spot-kick well during the shootout.
Issa Diop: 7/10
Diop made his physical presence count as he stood tall against any potential attack that came his way. Snuffed out danger quite adeptly to keep things neat at the back.
Aaron Cresswell: 6/10
This was not one of Cresswell’s finest performances, as he found himself pinned at the back as Manchester City’s attacking force barely allowed him to make his marauding runs upfront.
Tomas Soucek: 4.5/10
It was not his night, as Soucek looked out of sorts and jaded after playing plenty of games on all fronts this season. He played his part in midfield, trying to protect his backline from the Manchester City attackers.
Mark Noble: 7/10
Noble produced a terrific all-action performance in the middle while exorcising the demons of the penalty he missed against Manchester City a few weeks ago to dispatch his spot-kick rather expertly. His experience counted on the night.
The skipper enjoyed that one ❤️⚒ pic.twitter.com/peCcPeFtRP
— West Ham United (@WestHam) October 27, 2021
Manuel Lanzini: 5/10
The lack of game-time was telling, as Lanzini produced a blunt display was against Manchester City. The Argentine failed to spark anything significant in the attack while keeping things ticking at his end.
Nikola Vlasic: 5.5/10
Vlasic is still finding his feet in the team and the new league. His appearances have been managed well by David Moyes so far. On Wednesday, he got into good positions during the game, although he should have done better with his deliveries.
Andriy Yarmolenko: 5/10
Yarmolenko starting in the no.9 position had only one positive outcome – a rest for Michail Antonio. In terms of his performance in the game, the Ukrainian was somewhat effective but produced nothing noteworthy. The rustiness due to a lack of regular game-time was evident.
Arthur Masuaku: 5.5/10
Masuaku was much more effective than the other forwards. At times, he was proving a handful for the Manchester City defenders, although his attacking prowess was only short-lived, after which the opposition went about their business of attacking.
SUBSTITUTES
Jarrod Bowen: 5/10
Bowen replaced Yarmolenko to lead the line for West Ham in the final quarter of the game. However, he was not effective in that duty at all, although he proved useful with a well-taken spot-kick to help West Ham win in the end.
Said Benrahma: 6/10
As the game wore on, Moyes decided to use all of his regular starters. Among those, only Benrahma was effective in some manner. He had the privilege of dispatching the winning spot-kick to set off the celebrations.
Pablo Fornals: 4/10
West Ham looked weak defensively after coming on as Manchester City were pinning the entire home team in their own half. He gave away a crucial close-range free-kick and will be relieved nothing came of it.
Vladimir Coufal: N/A
Back in action after recovering from injury, Coufal got some minutes under his belt as Moyes decided to see the game out at 0-0. Did not play long enough to get a rating.
Manchester City
End of an era…
We bow out of the Carabao Cup#ManCity pic.twitter.com/Mok1YKdyW4
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 27, 2021
Zack Steffen: 6.5/10
Steffen made no real mistake or had nervy moments as he was mostly a passenger, with the team attacking from the front. However, when called into action, he was efficient, palming away Noble’s brilliant effort.
Kyle Walker: 5/10
Walker had a rare ineffective game. He did not have much defending to do but failed to contribute anything in the final third. He was taken off at half-time.
John Stones: 5.5/10
Stones had a relatively quiet night, which was expected from the start. He almost scored a goal, but apart from that there was nothing more to report on his performance.
Nathan Ake: 7/10
Ake might be coming to the fore at Manchester City after all. The Dutchman displayed some brilliant awareness with several line-breaking passes, which troubled West Ham greatly. He kept things tight at the back.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 7/10
Zinchenko had a very busy night compared to his fellow defenders. He ran up and down, trying to influence the attack while also keep things tight on his flank.
Fernandinho: 5.5/10
Fernandinho kept things ticking in the midfield while expertly using his experience to handle Soucek. Noble was turning out to be a problem for him, though, and Fernandinho could not contain him.
Kevin De Bruyne: 7/10
Manchester City’s best player on the ball as the Belgian tried his best to make things happen. Physically, he still does not look fully fit, although he always makes himself available for the team.
Ilkay Gundogan: 6/10
Like De Bruyne, Gundogan was excellent on the ball and got himself into his normal scoring positions, but it is a shame he could not find the back of the net.
Riyad Mahrez: 4/10
Mahrez was utterly ineffective in the final third, with only some fancy footwork to show for his selection. Performances like these will regularly keep him on the bench.
Cole Palmer: 6/10
It was an encouraging game from the youngster, who got deployed as the false nine. Palmer worked hard and got involved well, although he quite expectedly lacked the final quality. A decent outing for him, nonetheless.
Raheem Sterling: 6/10
Sterling was good on the ball but lacked the scoring instinct on the night. His glaring miss at the end of regulation time with a free header summed it up.
SUBSTITUTES
Joao Cancelo: 5/10
Cancelo replaced Walker and proved as ineffective as the England international. He dispatched his spot-kick with ease, though.
Phil Foden: 7/10
Fully behind you, @PhilFoden. ?? pic.twitter.com/ds00OkUdv8
— City Chief (@City_Chief) October 27, 2021
When he came on, there was a new dimension added to Manchester City’s attacking play. However, it was his penalty miss that cost the team a place in the next round.
Gabriel Jesus: N/A
No influence whatsoever, but he dispatched his spot-kick well.
Jack Grealish: N/A
Same as Jesus, scored from the spot.
