Thursday 7 January 2016 10:15, UK
Romelu Lukaku struck the winning goal as Everton beat Manchester City 2-1 to take a slender advantage in the first leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final at Goodison Park.
The Belgian's winner came moments after City substitute Jesus Navas had cancelled out Ramiro Funes Mori's opener in first-half stoppage time.
Here, we round up the key talking points from the game - including the impressive performances of Everton's bright young stars and the penalty incident that left City fuming...
Everton and City up for the cup
Roberto Martinez insists Everton's priority is a top-four finish while Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City are focused on their quest for Premier League and Champions League glory, but the two sides' team selections at Goodison Park showed the Capital One Cup is also highly valued.
Both sides made three changes, but the only big names to be demoted to the bench were goalkeepers Tim Howard and Joe Hart and City's Raheem Sterling. What followed was a pulsating and fiercely competitive encounter, as the home side continued their pursuit of their first piece of silverware in 20 years and City looked to boost their chances of lifting the trophy for the second time in three years.
The Capital One Cup may not be the most sought-after trophy in English football, but it certainly isn't being taken lightly by Everton and City. The victory was greeted with huge cheers inside Goodison Park, and the second leg at the Etihad Stadium promises further intrigue.
Lukaku and Barkley shine
In his programme notes, Martinez wrote that Everton possess "probably the most talented group of young players in English and European football". It was a bold statement which inadvertently highlighted their under-achievement in the Premier League this season, but Lukaku and Barkley certainly lived up to their manager's billing against City.
The striker's 78th-minute winner, when he ghosted between Nicolas Otamendi and Martin Demichelis to head Gareth Barry's cross beyond Willy Caballero, was his 12th goal in 12 games, his eighth in seven games at Goodison Park, and his 19th overall in what has been a brilliant individual campaign so far.
Martinez described him as the "perfect striker" in his post-match interview with Sky Sports, and in the studio his predecessor David Moyes was equally impressed. "All night they had that threat to pick out Lukaku with a diagonal pass," he said. "It's what Lukaku has done all season. He's got himself in between people and Everton have put balls into him."
Lukaku was ably supported by Barkley. The England youngster was guilty of over-elaborating on a couple of occasions in the early stages, but it was his powerful drive that led to Everton's opening goal. "He had one chance before the goal that he should have taken on his left foot," said Moyes. "Maybe from that he realised, I'm going to take this one on."
The directness paid off. He was denied twice more by Caballero later in the contest, and his driving runs forward made him a constant threat to the visitors.
Aguero still finding his feet
While Lukaku enjoyed another productive evening in front of goal, his counterpart Sergio Aguero showed signs of rustiness after his spell on the sidelines. The Argentine was back in the goals against Watford at the weekend and his assist for Navas' goal here was perfectly measured, but one moment in the second half showed he's still not quite back to his clinical best.
David Silva created the chance around eight yards from goal, and after Aguero dragged the ball out of his feet, the whole of Goodison Park was expecting the net to bulge. It was a bread and butter opportunity for the 27-year-old, but he mis-kicked horribly wide to let the home side off the hook. After completing his first 90 minutes since September, however, City will be hoping a return to form is just around the corner.
Besic makes an impact
Lukaku and Barkley were not the only Everton youngsters to impress. Bosnian midfielder Muhamed Besic has flown under the radar since his arrival at Everton from Ferencvaros last summer, but he stood out impressively against City on only his third start of an injury-hit campaign.
In the absence of the injured James McCarthy, the 23-year-old added bite to Everton's midfield, with an impeccable sliding tackle on Yaya Toure the highlight of a combative and hard-working performance.
As well as impressing defensively, Besic used possession well, releasing Gerard Deulofeu with several slide-rule passes on the right flank, and he also tested Caballero with two shots on target from outside the penalty area.
His midfielder partner Barry was named man-of-the-match, but Moyes felt Besic deserved a share of the credit. "I thought Barry and Besic were very good," he said. "I thought they really dominated the middle of the park and I don't think Manchester City got a chance to build up any steam in the game except for in the opening 10-15 minutes."
City aggrieved by decisions
But while Everton probably did enough to deserve their first-leg advantage, Pellegrini used his post-match interview with Sky Sports to vent his frustration with the officials. The Chilean was unhappy that Everton's opener was allowed to stand, and he was justifiably upset that City were denied a penalty when Kevin Mirallas appeared to bring down Navas in the 70th minute.
"[The opening goal] was offside," he said. "Lukaku is clearly in front of Willy Caballero. He makes a movement, he participates in the play. It's unbelievable that the referee or the linesman didn't whistle for that clear offside. If you add the clear penalty on Jesus Navas, there are two clear actions that could change the score."
Pellegrini was pressed again on the penalty incident, and offered a prickly response. "It's not what I feel," he said. "It's a foul inside the box. He didn't touch the ball. He takes the legs of Jesus. It's a clear penalty."
