For the vast majority of their match, Arsenal's young team held with a Manchester City team filled with full internationals. They had just as much of the ball and created more shots. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was perhaps the best player on the pitch. However, Arsenal got careless when going for a winner on a corner kick and were ripped apart late on the counter, as City stole a 1-0 win.
Arsenal Vs. Manchester City, 2011 Carling Cup Quarterfinals: Full Time, Citizens Snatch Late Winner
Though the Citizens were not the better side on the night, their counter attack to set up the goal was spectacular enough that it’s fair to say they deserved to win. Though they lacked their normal invention for most of the match, the counter was easily the best move of the game, worthy of a game-winning goal.
It came when City cleared the ball out of the box on an Arsenal corner, with Edin Dzeko starting the move. He played a fantastic ball to Adam Johnson, who continued the counter with a great through ball to Sergio Aguero. El Kun finished brilliantly to give his team a lead that they wouldn't relinquish, and City are through to the semifinals.
We’ll have coverage of this and every Carling Cup game in our Carling Cup Quarterfinals StoryStream. For more on the two teams, check out Arsenal blog The Short Fuse and Manchester City blog Bitter and Blue. Head over to SB Nation Soccer for more around the entire world of football.
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