Carlos Tevez set the Blues in the right direction with a close range strike, before Reece Wabara and Denis Suarez sealed the comeback later on.
Tevez’s second appearance since returning to the club ensured not only a larger than normal crowd at Ewen Fields, but plenty of press interest too. Owen Coyle was also in attendance to run the rule over some of his fringe players, including former Blue Martin Petrov.
City’s former club captain looked lively and went close on 10 minutes when he cut back from a diagonal run to hit a rasping shot just over the bar. Eight minutes later Eirik Johansen kept the scores level with two excellent saves in quick succession, both to deny Bolton centre-forward Tom Eaves.
The Norwegian did even better around the half’s midpoint, making an excellent save from a Blakeman penalty low to his left after the same player had been felled in the area.
Lynch denied Tevez on the half hour, dropping to his right to save a curling free kick, and the Argentinean also showed off a couple of other sublime touches.
Bolton had the better of the half’s latter stages, first forcing Johansen into action again when he stood up to block O’Halloran before Blakeman rattled the bar with a shot from long range. They took the lead in stoppage time, Obadeyi cutting inside from the right to drill the ball between Johansen’s left hand and the post.
City took just five minutes to level the scores, and it was Tevez who did the trick, tucking away a Harry Bunn cross that had bobbled over from the right. It was his first goal in a City shirt since the Stoke league game just after the FA Cup final last May.
The imposing Eaves continued to be a handful, striking City’s bar with a fierce shot after an hour, but City gradually turned the screw to take a grip on the game. Carlos Tevez had just been substituted with 20 minutes left, receiving a generous ovation as he left the pitch, when Reece Wabara broke into the right of the box before driving the ball home from a tight angle.
A place in the final was ensured five minutes later when Denis Suarez broke through the middle to drill the ball home and complete a fine comeback for Andy Welsh’s side.
The final will be against Manchester United at a venue and on a date to be decided.
