A second half comeback from West Brom sent big-spending Manchester City tumbling out of the Carling Cup.
Baggies stun City to reach fourth round of Carling Cup
A second half comeback from West Brom sent big-spending Manchester City tumbling out of the Carling Cup. Gianni Zuiverloon and Simon Cox turned the match on its head, scoring within two minutes of each other after Jo had put the visitors ahead midway through the first half. The victory for the West Midlands outfit saw the first chance of silverware for Blues boss Roberto Mancini disappear at the earliest opportunity. Even with an estimated £100million of talent on the pitch at the final whistle as Roberto Mancini threw on James Milner and David Silva, City were unable to force an equaliser. It was a dismal result for Mancini, who must now try to avoid defeat to Chelsea at Eastlands on Saturday to stop questions being asked about his Blues reign.Reward
At half-time Mancini must have been fairly pleased with himself after Jo had once again rewarded his manager's faith and patience. The £17million Brazilian scored his first City goal in almost two years in Salzburg last week. Given West Brom controlled so much of the contest, it should be no surprise City pounced on the counter-attack with one of the debutants, John Guidetti, playing a key role before Jo calmly stroked the ball home. When Shay Given stood tall to beat away a Barnes effort after the midfielder had been sent racing beyond the City defence, it appeared the script for the evening had been written. Faced with such adversity, West Brom's mood was impressively defiant.Class
And although Ben Mee was fuming at being on the wrong end of an apparent push in the build-up, there was no doubting the touch of class from Zuiverloon as he belted his side level from 20 yards. Within a couple of minutes, the Baggies were celebrating again as Cox found the same bottom corner after finding himself some space on the edge of the City box. The swift reversal in fortune was no more than West Brom deserved and triggered the introduction of Milner in a clear effort to try to salvage the contest. Silva soon followed but it was all to no avail as the Baggies celebrated a famous win.| Team Name | West Bromwich Albion | Manchester City |
| Possession | 50% | 50% |
| Goals | 2 | 1 |
| Shots On Target | 6 | 3 |
| Shots Off Target | 7 | 2 |
| Blocked Shots | 3 | 2 |
| Corners | 8 | 5 |
| Fouls Conceded | 16 | 12 |
| Offsides | 0 | 2 |
| Yellow Cards | 0 | 1 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |