Capital One Cup: Everton 2-1 Manchester City- 5 Talking Points
Everton go into the second leg of the semis at the Etihad with a potentially crucial one-goal advantageEverton drew first blood in the semi-finals of the Capital One cup as they overcame Manchester City 2-1 at Goodison Park and will take a slender one-goal advantage into the second leg at the Etihad in two weeks time.After getting denied by the offside flag twice in quick succession, the Toffees finally took the lead through Ramiro Funes Mori, before Jesus Navas levelled the terms around the hour mark. The visitors’ jubilation, however, was cut short as Romelu Lukaku restored the lead with a close-range header just minutes later, but soon had to limp off with an injury.The Belgian’s premature departure may come as a matter of concern for manager Roberto Martinez, but it had little impact on the field as Everton held on to enter the return leg with a slight upper hand. Here are the major talking points from the second semi-finals of 2015/16 Capital One Cup.
#1 Lukaku and Barkley repay manager\'s faith
Everton manager Roberto Martinez recently waxed lyrical about his squad quoting they have “probably the most talented group of young players in English and European football”. Considering the topsy-turvy season the Merseysiders are having, the Spaniard appeared to just shoot his mouth off. But with the victory over City in the League Cup, Lukaku and Barkley add some substance to his words.
The duo shone bright for the home side and weighed in with the most pivotal contributions. Lukaku shimmied past Otamendi and Demichelis to head home the winner, latching beautifully on to Gareth Barry's cross from the flank to take his tally to a staggering 19 for the season already.
The goal underlined the former Chelsea man’s tendency to be at the right place at the right time and what a reliable outlet he's been upfront. Supporting him in his exploits was Barkley, whose vicious drive into the box culminated in the opener. He may have been denied by Willy Caballero twice late on, but his direct runs made the visitors panicky.
Their performance today goes some way in suggesting the young talent in the Everton roster, but to be called “the best”, they’ll have perform in the same vein for weeks to come.