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Established 1961 15 Sports Thursday, January 11, 2018 Aguero to Man City’s rescue against valiant Bristol City Season’s giantkillers have eliminated four Premier League sides MANCHESTER: A goal in stoppage time by Sergio to breaking the deadlock on the quarter-hour mark Aguero saved Manchester City’s blushes as it was when a flowing move concluded with Bernardo Silva’s enough to secure a 2-1 win over second-tier Bristol goal-bound shot taking a deflection off a Bristol City City in their League Cup semi-final first leg clash on defender. Tuesday. The Argentinian’s 19th goal of the season and a fine effort by Belgian international Kevin De Bruyne STONES UPENDS REID cancelled out Bobby Reid’s first-half penalty to give the The visitors, though, were not in the least intimidat- hosts a club record-equalling 16th successive home ed and went close themselves immediately afterwards, win. However Bristol City, this season’s giantkillers who Claudio Bravo saving Joe Bryan’s long-range shot. have eliminated four Premier League sides including Bristol City-appearing in their first major semi-final in holders Manchester United, gave their 8,000 travelling 29 years-were more than holding their own but a poor fans-the highest away clearance saw De Bruyne attendance at the Etihad force a good one-handed Stadum in its 15-year histo- save from Frank Fielding as ry-much to cheer. the hosts pressed for the Manchester City manag- We created a lot opener. er Pep Guardiola sportingly The hosts turned the congratulated his Bristol of chances and screw as the half progressed City counterpart Lee forcing a series of corners Johnson at the end. “We that’s why we but without the end reward. created a lot of chances and However, it was Manchester that’s why we win in the win in the end City who cracked in the end, but today we knew we 43rd minute as the shaky are not going to finish our Eliaquim Mangala was dis- job-that will have to happen away in Bristol when we possessed and John Stones made a rash challenge on travel there,” the Spaniard told the BBC. Reid to concede a penalty. “They were really good, so we tried so hard, all the Reid dusted himself off and although Bravo guessed players tried and we’re really happy,” added the 46- the right way and got his fingers to the penalty, he was year-old, who has lost five of his last six semi-finals unable to prevent it going into the net for the scorer’s including City’s last domestic loss to Arsenal in last sea- 14th goal of the season. MANCHESTER: Manchester City’s Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero (C) jumps to score their late winning goal son’s FA Cup. Johnson, who last season received a Aden Flint ensured the Championship side went into during the English League Cup semi-final first leg football match between Manchester City and Bristol City at death threat and had to move house as a result after the break 1-0 up when he produced a superb header to the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England. — AFP Bristol City lost eight matches in a row, said he was clear over his own bar as Raheem Sterling’s shot looked proud of his players. destined to bring the sides level. “They can’t be disappointed as we are still in the However, there was nothing the visitors could do the Belgian rifled the ball into the net to provoke a sigh for Yaya Toure with 20 minutes remaining and the club’s tie,” he told Sky Sports. “They have shown the world about the equaliser in the 55th minute. De Bruyne surged of relief from players and home fans alike. Guardiola record goalscorer did not disappoint, firing in the winner we are good footballers.” Manchester City went close forward playing it to Sterling who laid it back to him and decided to send on his only out-and-out striker Aguero for a barely deserved victory. — AFP Everton owner says Lukaku exit swayed Lemar helps by ‘voodoo message’ Monaco beat rivals LONDON: Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri Nice in League says that the club’s former striker Romelu Lukaku turned down a big offer to stay in Merseyside on the advice of a “voodoo message” that was passed on to him by the Cup quarters player’s mother. The 24-year-old’s prolific form garnered interest from NICE: Thomas Lemar scored as Monaco beat Cote top clubs in England after the Belgian international d’Azur rivals Nice 2-1 at the Allianz Riviera on Tuesday scored 25 goals in 37 league appearances last season. to reach the French League Cup semi-finals. Lemar, Lukaku was initially expected to return to his former who has been heavily linked with a move to England, club Chelsea but the 24-year-old instead sealed a move nodded Monaco into an early lead, before Alassane to Manchester United in July, and Moshiri says Everton Plea equalised after a video review. Monaco moved offered everything they could in an effort to hold on to back in front before half-time through 21-year-old their main goal threat. Adama Diakhaby and Leonardo Jardim’s French cham- “With Romelu, I wasted two summers trying to keep pions held on with the aid of a terrible miss by Nice him,” Moshiri said during Everton’s annual general meet- midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou. “This victory was ing on Tuesday. “The first summer, I spent almost three deserved and it is very important for our fans,” said months, and we managed to keep him for another year. Monaco coach Jardim after his side’s sixth straight win. “Last summer, we offered him a better deal than Chelsea “Diakhaby is progressing, even if he’s not doing every- and he just didn’t want to stay... If I tell you what we thing right, he’s young and we believe in him.” The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) is being used offered, you won’t believe it. His agent went to Finch for the rest of the competition as a test ahead of its Farm to sign the contract. “Then somehow during the expected arrival in Ligue 1 next season, having been meeting, Romelu called his mother and said she was on a OLD TRAFFORD: Manchester United’s Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku (L) scores their second goal during the used in the promotion/relegation play-off last year. pilgrimage to Africa and had seen some sort of voodoo English FA Cup third round football match. — AFP “It’s good, we’re losing two or three minutes in the that said he had to sign for Chelsea. whole game,” Jardim said. “Errors will decrease, not “What can you do? He’d gone to Los Angeles and totally, but by 80 percent.” The hosts were given a blow wouldn’t come back, his brain had gone.” Lukaku is in retaining midfielder Ross Barkley at Goodison Park added. Everton, who were knocked out of the FA Cup by before kick-off as the in-form Mario Balotelli failed to United’s leading scorer this season with 10 goals in 21 with the England international swapping Merseyside for city rivals Liverpool last Friday, are ninth in the standings regain fitness in time after suffering with glute pain. league games, helping lead Jose Mourinho’s side up to champions Chelsea last week. “I didn’t spent as much and travel to fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Monaco made a fast start and took the lead in only the second in the standings. Everton were also unsuccessful time to keep Ross as I did Rom (Lukaku),” Moshiri Saturday. —Reuters third minute, as Lemar found space to head in Keita Balde’s cross from close range to score his third goal of an injury-hit season and send out a message to potential suitors at Arsenal and Liverpool. The 22-year-old drilled into the roof of the net 10 minutes later, only to be Liverpool’s Sevilla have not agreed to significantly denied a second goal by the linesman’s flag for offside. Man Utd to lower the price of tickets for our fans to Nice levelled against the run of play in the 18th minute ‘Flying Pig’ what we view as a reasonable level. as Plea ran onto Allan Saint-Maximin’s pass and slotted “Therefore we have taken the difficult past Diego Benaglio at the Monaco goalkeeper’s near raise price of decision to charge Sevilla fans for the post. The referee checked with VAR for offside, but Lawrence dies return leg at Old Trafford the same replays showed that Plea had timed his run to perfec- Sevilla amount as our fans have been charged tion before grabbing his 10th goal of the campaign. The LONDON: Goalkeeper Tommy for the away fixture. visitors continued to be the better side, though, and Lawrence, part of the first great “We have decided to increase the they retook the lead as forward Diakhaby sent a half- Liverpool side under Bill Shankly, has fans’ tickets ticket prices for Sevilla fans for the volley flying into the corner from another excellent died aged 77, the club announced yes- game at Old Trafford, and use this Balde delivery. Nice threw bodies forwards in the second half with- terday. Lawrence, affectionately known BARCELONA: Manchester United have increase to subsidise our fans, as we out creating many clear-cut chances, but Lees-Melou as ‘The Flying Pig’ for his acrobatic want this to act as a deterrent to future raised ticket prices for Sevilla fans by should have equalised when he headed wide with the opponents who look to increase ticket saves despite being of portly build, was 35 pounds ($47) for the Champions goal gaping from only three yards out.