Korey Smith scored an injury-time winner as Championship side Bristol City stunned holders Manchester United to reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup. Smith’s turn and strike in the final minute of time added on booked a semi-final against Premier League leaders Manchester City. After an even first hour, Joe Bryan’s rasping left-foot strike across goal into the top corner gave the Robins a shock lead at a packed Ashton Gate. Their advantage lasted just eight minutes, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic marking his first start since 20 April with a low free-kick past Luke Steele, before Smith struck.
There were jubilant scenes at the final whistle, with much of the sell-out crowd rushing on to the pitch in celebration and taking selfies with some of the City players. Despite fielding a side showing 10 changes, United manager Jose Mourinho had recalled Paul Pogba after a three-match ban and picked a forward line of Ibrahimovic, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. The visitors did carve out numerous opportunities from open play, with Ibrahimovic and Rashford both striking the woodwork before half-time. But, despite clearly tiring towards the end, City continued to throw numbers forward and were rewarded with Smith’s dramatic winner – making United the fourth Premier League side they have knocked out this season, after Watford, Stoke and Crystal Palace.
Jose Mourinho accused some Manchester United players of not wanting to play in their shock Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat at Bristol City. Korey Smith scored a 93rd-minute winner to dump the holders out after City took the lead through Joe Bryan in the 51st minute. Zlatan Ibrahimovic equalised soon after and former United goalkeeper Luke Steele made a number of fine stops before Smith capitalised on United’s dithering defending to send the Robins through to the last four.
Mourinho made 10 changes to the United side which beat West Brom 2-1 on Sunday, as Paul Pogba returned from suspension and Ibrahimovic made his first start since April 20. The XI featured 10 internationals, including Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Daley Blind.
However, United were lackadaisical from the start and despite fashioning chances throughout were caught napping twice by City. Mourinho fumed some players didn’t ‘even want to come to the office’. “In the first-half we lacked the intensity that they had, and when I say intensity I say not just physical I say also mentally, for some of us it was just one more day in the office probably a day that some of them they don’t even want to come to the office,” Mourinho told Sky Sports. “For the Bristol boys it was a big, big day for them and in the first-half you could see that. They were a bit lucky and we were not so bad as that in the second-half.
