Manchester United’s defence of the Carabao Cup came to an end in shocking fashion tonight as Championship side Bristol City dumped the Reds out of the cup with an injury-time winner in their quarter-final tie.
Korey Smith’s late strike sent Ashton Gate into raptures and ensured the unfancied Robins their place in the semi-finals alongside the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea, while José Mourinho’s side were left to ponder what was a subpar performance.
Mourinho made wholesale changes to the side that beat West Brom at the weekend, with the likes of Matteo Darmian, Daley Blind and Zlatan Ibrahimovic coming into the side. Paul Pogba also made his return having served his three-match suspension.
However, the changes to the side were apparent, as United were very much disjointed throughout the 90 minutes. Despite hitting the woodwork through Ibrahimovic and Marcus Rashford, the Reds posed little threat as Bristol City looked up for the fight.
And the Robins took the lead in spectacular fashion at the start of the second half, with Joe Bryan finishing off a wonderful move with a powerful strike which gave Sergio Romero no chance. The lead lasted all of seven minutes though, as Ibrahimovic scored his first goal since returning from injury, blasting a free-kick past Luke Steele.
Despite bringing the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in an effort to win the game, it was City that eventually snatched the winner, just as the affair was meandering towards extra time. Smith was played through on goal by Bryan and the midfielder slotted past Romero’s legs to spark massive celebrations at Ashton Gate.
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