in Capital One Cup, Manchester City, Match Review

League Cup Report: Wolves Hold Manchester City to Penalties as Citizens Struggle for Victory

Despite the apparent gulf in class, Manchester City were held goalless at full time and extra time by Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup match-up on Tuesday. The Citizens were forced to roll the dice and win the lottery of the penalty shoot-out.

Kevin De Bruyne, Yaya Toure, Leroy Sane, and Sergio Aguero all scored during the shoot-out, while only Leo Bonatini managed to score for the away side. Attempts from Alfred N’Diaye and Conor Coady were saved by the impressive Claudio Bravo.

As expected, it was all Manchester City dictating the tempo during the first half. The ever-clinical Aguero had an attempt early on but Wolves keeper Will Norris made a good save. The Argentine had another chance five minutes later, but shot the ball wide.

Ex-Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling also got in the action in the second half, but ended up squandering the chance to score for City after his attempt went wide.

Wolves also went close to scoring when 19-year-old Bright Enobakhare intelligently dribbles the ball past defender Eliaquim Mangala to get a clear run at goal. The young striker’s effort, however, was saved by Bravo.

Come the second half, it appeared as though Wolves were getting a better share of the chances. Attacking midfielder Helder Costa had a magnificent chance to put his side up front after going one-on-one against Bravo. Unfortunately, his shot was saved.

Enobakhare once again rose up to the opportunity 10 minutes from full-time but couldn’t get a shot away. In blistering end-to-end fashion, substitute De Bruyne hoped to become a super sup by driving the ball past the Wolves defence towards Sterling inside the box. The English winger, however, shot the ball wide.

At extra time, tired legs have become a factor and both sides began to struggle piecing out chances. Yaya Toure stepped up minutes from full-time at extra time with a fantastic shot from inside the box. Keeper Norris parried the ball away. Sterling pounced on the rebound but simply couldn’t score. Young Connor Ronan also came close for Wolves nearly two minutes from time, but couldn’t find the back of the net.

The game would eventually proceed to penalties, and from there City would win the game in hard-fought fashion. Special mention to Claudio Bravo, who pulled off two heroic saves from the spot to ensure Manchester City would qualify for the next round of the League Cup.

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