Tournament winners for the past three seasons, under the inspired stewardship of Pep Guardiola City have become the standard bearers for the English League Cup.
Since a young City side last exited the competition – ironically at the hands of United in a 1-0 fourth-round encounter in October 2016 during the early part of Guardiola’s first season in charge - the Club have become a by-word for Carabao Cup success.
In the ensuing four and a bit years since that 1-0 Old Trafford loss – or what will have been 1,533 days to be precise by the time of Wednesday’s kick-off – the Club have gone from strength to strength in the competition.
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Our success in lifting the 2018 Carabao Cup via a 3-0 win over Arsenal not only precipitated a period of sustained League Cup dominance but also served as the springboard for a haul of silverware unparalleled in the Club’s history.
That 2017/18 triumph was followed later that season by City going on to lift the Premier League and become the first English side to amass 100 points in the process.
The following campaign saw City retain the Carabao Cup, by virtue of an absorbing penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea, in the midst of an unforgettable season that saw us became the first side in history to win all four major English honours.
And that Carabao Cup success story continued uninterrupted last term, with City lifting the famous trophy for a third successive season after an absorbing 2-1 win over Aston Villa at Wembley in March of 2020.
That tale of sustained League Cup excellence has continued apace so far this term.
Our trail to this season’s semi-final saw us record a 2-1 third round win over Bournemouth at the Etihad before we then secured a dominant 3-0 triumph away at Burnley in a fourth-round encounter.
The, just before Christmas, we booked our semi-final ticket with a hugely impressive 4-1 quarter-final success away to Arsenal.
The facts and figures of our Carabao Cup exploits make for some impressive reading.
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In total, we’ve won 20 out of 21 games in the competition since September 2017, albeit four of them on penalties after those matches finished in a draw, the only setback being a 1-0 loss to United in last season’s semi-final second leg.
Along the way, we’ve scored 50 goals in the process, conceding just 13.
The Carabao Cup has also provided the platform for a succession of exciting young players to receive their inaugural taste of first team football.
In total, 45 players have figured for the Club in that long unbeaten run – with the competition offering debuts for Oleks Zinchenko, Eric Garcia, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Tommy Doyle to name but a few.
This season has seen Liam Delap and Cole Palmer become the latest products off our Academy production line to make the step up to senior football via the Carabao Cup with 17-year-old Delap memorably netting on his debut in that win over Bournemouth.
If we were to go on and taste success again this season, it would be the eighth time in the Club’s history we would have won the competition and would mark our sixth success in eight years.
So, there will be no lack of incentive for Guardiola’s players when they step out at Old Trafford on Wednesday night!
PLAYERS USED IN CARABAO CUP RUN:
Claudio Bravo; Danilo; John Stones; Eliaquim Mangala; Fabian Delph; Bernardo Silva; Yaya Toure, Ilkay Gundogan; Raheem Sterling; Gabriel Jesus; Leroy Sane; Fernandinho
Kyle Walker; Tosin Adarabioyo, Oleks Zinchenko; Sergio Aguero; Kevin De Bruyne; Phil Foden; Brahim Diaz; Lukas Nmecha; Tom Dele-Bashiru
Nicolas Otamendi; David Silva; Vincent Kompany; Aro Muric; Riyad Mahrez; Adrian Bernabe; Claudio Gomes, Eric Garcia; Philippe Sandler; Ian Poveda; Benjamin Mendy
Felix Nmecha; Ederson; Aymeric Laporte, Angelino; Taylor Harwood-Bellis; Joao Cancelo; Tommy Doyle, Cole Palmer, Liam Delap, Zack Steffen, Nathan Ake, Ferran Torres, Ruben Dias
RESULTS SINCE LAST KO IN 2016:
2017-18
Third Round: West Brom 1-2 City
Fourth Round: City 0-0 Wolves (won 4-1 on pens)
Quarter-final: Leicester 1-1 City (won 3-4 on pens)
Semi-final first leg: City 2-1 Bristol City
Semi-final second leg: Bristol City 2-3 City
Final: Arsenal 0-3 City
2018-19
Third Round: Oxford 0-3 City
Fourth Round: City 2-0 Fulham
Quarter-final: Leicester 1-1 City (won 1-3 on pens)
Semi-final first leg: City 9-0 Burton Albion
Semi-final second leg: Burton Albion 0-1 City
Final: Chelsea 0-0 City (3-4 on pens)
2019-20
Third Round: Preston 0-3 City
Fourth Round: City 3-1 Southampton
Fifth Round: Oxford 1-3 City
Semi-final first leg: Man United 1-3 City
Semi-final second leg: City 0-1 United
Final: City 2-1 Aston Villa
2020-21
Third Round: City 2-1 Bournemouth
Fourth Round: Burnley 0-3 City
Fifth Round: Arsenal 1-4 City
