Full Time: Leicester City 1-1 Manchester City (Man City Won 4-3 On Penalties)
Claudio Bravo turned out to be Manchester City’s penalty hero as they kept their hopes of a dream quadruple alive to beat Leicester and reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday evening.
The Chilean shot-stopper saved Riyad Mahrez’s spot-kick as Pep Guardiola’s side won 4-3 on penalties following an exciting 1-1 draw after extra time at the King Power Stadium.
Jamie Vardy missed in the shoot-out after scoring an added-time penalty to take it beyond 90 minutes, after Bernardo Silva’s first-half goal looked to have given the visitors a routine win.
Yet normal service was resumed in another respect as City dominated possession before taking the lead through Silva. The Portuguese international forced Ben Hamer into a smart 13th-minute stop before Ilkay Gundogan had his goal-bound shot blocked.
Gundogan almost caught the Leicester goalkeeper out with a chip that was flicked on to the top of the bar and over.
Kelechi Iheanacho, the former City player, was at the heart of the mistake for the goal. He allowed Yaya Toure to take the ball, Gundogan marched forward to find Silva and the winger slipped the ball under the onrushing Hamer to give the visitors the lead.
After a subdued start, Leicester eventually grew into the game. Ilheanacho forced Bravo into a save, before the Nigerian shot over following the goalkeeper’s hurried clearance.
Foxes manager Claude Puel introduced Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy 11 minutes after the break and the duo impacted the game to a certain extent. The arrival of Demarai Gray showed Leicester’s intent as the winger tangled with Kyle Walker in the penalty-box and Vardy slotted home the penalty in the 95th minute to equalise.
Christian Fuchs, Harry Maguire and Vicente Iborra scored for Leicester in the shootout while Gundogan, Toure, Lukas Nmecha and Gabriel Jesus netted for City.
But at 4-3, Vardy’s penalty hit the post, and Bravo denied Mahrez to book City’s place in the next round of the competition.
Manchester City Player Ratings
Claudio Bravo- 8/10
He made some key saves and gathered the ball well during the period of hosts’ dominance in the game. Just like his heroics in the previous round against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Chilean was the shootout hero again. Perfectly jumped to his right-hand side to deny Mahrez, leaving the City fans bouncing.
Danilo- 4/10
A night to forget for the full-back. Lost possession cheaply and nearly let Iheanacho in twice with erratic passes.
Tosin Adarabioyo- 6/10
The youngster performed really well, barring a few shaky moments. Showed confidence on the ball and a lot of promise in the entire game.
Eliaquim Mangala- 6/10
A mixed bag for the Frenchman. Showed enterprise while taking the ball forward, but was equally unpredictable when it came to defending. Dealt the aerial balls calmly and while doing so, injured his nose that saw him get substituted in the second half.
Oleksandr Zinchenko- 7/10
The fact that Zinchenko was not played in his actual position and yet performed so well was commendable. First dealt with Albrighton nicely, and showed grit when Mahrez came into the game. Had few lapses in concentration in the makeshift left-back role, which was understandable, but overall was very tidy.
Yaya Toure- 6/10
Compared to his performances this season, he was okay. With age catching up, Toure no more has the legs to bulldoze with the ball. However, he is still adept at creating chances with his incisive and smart passing. Scored in the penalty shootout too.
Ilkay Gundogan- 7/10
Showed the signs that he is coming back to his best. The German again showed his classy game, dictating the game from the midfield and supplying the assist. I would have given him a rating of 8 but due to his unnecessary dive, which earned him a booking, 7 is what he deserves.
Phil Foden- 6/10
He was decent overall, showed glimpses of his potential and showed why he is dubbed as the Stockport Andreas Iniesta. Needs to be consistent whenever he’s given a chance to play.
Bernardo Silva- 9/10
Finally a game for City that saw Silva run the show with his clever movement, passing and creativity. The Portuguese is a delight to watch and took the goal so well, prodding between Leicester goalkeeper’s legs. A fantastic evening that further demonstrated his credentials.
Brahim Diaz- 5/10
Just like Foden, Diaz has to learn to grab the chances with both the hands. On his debut, the game passed him by and he failed to make an impact.
Gabriel Jesus- 7/10
No goal, no problem for Jesus. He led the line so well, made smart runs into the box, including for Silva’s opener.
Substitutes
Kyle Walker- 5/10
Walker was extremely unlucky for the penalty as Gray acted intelligently by going down in the box. Later, the right-back was booked for a blatant dive.
Lukas Nmecha- 6/10
A well-taken penalty from the academy graduate in the pressure situation.
Tom Dele-Bashiru- 5/10
Showed promise with some nice touches after coming on for Foden in the 90th minute of the game.
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