Manchester City cruised into the quarter-finals of the League Cup by easing to a 5-1 victory over Crystal Palace at the Eithad.
Wilfried Bony headed in from a corner to give City the lead, before Kevin De Bruyne slotted home from close range to double their tally just before half time.
Kelechi Iheanacho fired in a third for the Citizens after the break, and Yaya Toure extended their lead further from the penalty spot.
With a minute left to play Damien Delaney headed in to pull a goal back for Palace, but Manu Garcia had the last say with a fifth goal for the hosts in stoppage time to complete the scoring.
Find out the action unfolded below.
Hello everyone! Our coverage of this season's League Cup continues with a tasty looking fourth-round tie at the Etihad. Manchester City have led the way at the top of the Premier League, but will their hopes of a cup triumph be ended by Alan Pardew's Crystal Palace?
The Citizens have made a good start to the campaign and they are currently top of the league on goal difference following a draw in the Manchester derby on Sunday. They have also won their last three home games, racking up a total of 13 goals in the process.
Palace also began the season in good fashion, but they have lost their way slightly since the recent international break. They have suffered two defeats on the bounce in the league, but they are still seventh in the table and showing good signs of progress.
I think it's about time we checked out the team news from the Etihad and see which players will be starting this evening's match.
MANCHESTER CITY XI: Caballero, Zabaleta, Demichelis, Mangala, Kolarov, Toure, Fernando, Navas, De Bruyne, Bony, Iheanacho
CRYSTAL PALACE XI: Hennessey, Mariappa, Delaney, Dann, Kelly, Jedinak, Ledley, Zaha, Mutch, Bolasie, Bamford
MANCHESTER CITY SUBS: Hart, Kompany, Otamendi, Sagna, Garcia, Barker, Roberts
CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: McCarthy, Hangeland, Ward, Lee, Sako, Campbell, Gayle
Despite having Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Fernandinho all ruled out, City have gone with a strong lineup this evening, with the likes of Yaya Toure, Kevin De Bruyne and Wilfried Bony starting. There is also a place up front for Kelechi Iheanacho, who scored the winner when these teams met last month.
Meanwhile, the Palace attack is led by Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford, who comes in for Fraizer Campbell. His inclusion from the start is one of six changes made from the team beaten by Leicester at the weekend, with Joe Ledley, Wilfred Zaha, and Jordon Mutch among those who also return.
Manchester City may have their sights set on Premier League and European glory this season, but they have shown in recent years that the League Cup is important to them. They have won the trophy three times in their history, with the most recent of those triumphs coming two seasons ago.
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That victory came last March, where the Citizens fought back to beat Sunderland 3-1 in the final, giving Manuel Pellegrini his first trophy as manger of the club, as they eventually went on to lift the Premier League title a few months later.
It was against Sunderland where they began their journey to reach the final in this year's competition, as a blistering first-half display saw them cruise to a 4-1 victory at the Stadium of Light. That is not the only time they have scored for fun in recent weeks, as they smashed six past Newcastle at the beginning of the month, before hitting five against Bournemouth in their next outing.
Their home form has generally been good and they have won the last three matches at the Eithad, but they are by no means unstoppable on their turf. A 2-1 defeat to Juventus saw their European campaign start on a low note last month, although they seem to have recovered now, while West Ham produced one of their trademark away displays to win by the same scoreline a few days later.
Palace will be hoping to catch City on one of their off days, as they look to recover from back-to-back defeats. The Eagles had won three games on the bounce until they were beaten by West Ham, while they slipped to a 1-0 reverse against Leicester City at the weekend.
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Despite that loss at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, the Eagles have a good record away from home under Alan Pardew, and they have already beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this season. They have also managed wins at Norwich and Watford, which have helped them up to seventh in the Premier League.
In terms of League Cup success, the Eagles have never made it beyond the last four of the competition. They have reached the semi-final stage four times in their history, and only a penalty shootout defeat to Cardiff City in 2012 stopped them from playing Liverpool in the final.
Fans will be dreaming of a change of fortunes this season, and they have claimed 4-1 wins in the previous two rounds. It did take them until extra-time to finally see off Shrewsbury in the second round, while a hat-trick from Dwight Gayle ensured it was an easier night's work at Selhurst Park against London rivals Charlton.
It was just a few weeks ago when these teams last met in a Premier League clash at Selhurst Park. For a long time it looked like that match would finish in a goalless draw, but in the final minute substitute Kelechi Iheanacho bundled the ball into the net after Samir Nasri's shot had been saved to secure a fifth league win in a row for City.
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That result was City's eighth win in their last nine meetings with Palace, while they have not suffered a home defeat to the Eagles in 25 years. However, Alan Pardew's side did come out on top back in April, when Glenn Murray and Jason Puncheon scored in a 2-1 win in South East London.
It's another busy night of League Cup action, with four games taking place to decide who will reach the last eight. We've got every match covered for you live, so you won't miss a minute. I just wonder if we will see the drama that we witnessed last night, as there were three penalty shootouts and a shock exit for Arsenal.
Right, the two teams have just made their way out onto the pitch and we are now just a few minutes away from the start of tonight's match.
KICKOFF! We are underway at the Etihad!
SHOT! Early opening for the hosts, as De Bruyne steals the ball from Dann and drives forward. He then surges into the box and fires in a strike, but his effort fails to test Hennessey and heads wide of the post.
SHOT! Down the other end of the pitch the visitors have a chance to threaten from a set piece situation. It's Mutch who droves in the free kick, and when it is cleared to Bolasie, the Congo international can only slice his volley wide of the target.
SHOT! It has been quite an open start to the match and we have already seen a few attempts on goal from both teams. The latest of those comes from Iheanacho, who finds some space outside the box, before firing in a strike which heads just a few inches over the bar.
SHOT! Bolasie is looking a real danger to the City defence in the early stages of the match and he is found at the back post by Zaha's deep cross. He manages to get above his marker and head an effort goalwards, but he can only plant the ball over the top of Caballero's goal.
CHANCE! I have a feeling that I am going to be mentioning Bolasie's name a lot this evening. The forward has another chance as a blocked shot from Mutch falls kindly into his path. Caballero then rushes off his line to narrow the angle, and after a couple of neat touches, the Palace man sees his close-range effort well saved by the keeper.
Ouch! This is a nasty looking one as Zabaleta and Bolasie both go up to win the ball on the halfway line, before clashing heads with each other. Zabaleta walks away looking relatively unscathed, but there is more concern around Bolasie, who is being given a long look at by the medical staff.
I can tell you that Bolasie is still receiving treatment from the physios and he is still lying flat on the pitch. It is a worrying sign for the visitors, and I hope that it isn't too serious for the forward. Meanwhile, Zabaleta has just been bandaged up, but he looks fine to continue.
Bolasie is finally up on his feet, and after a moment on the touchline, he is able to come back on the pitch. It would have been real blow for him to go off so early on, as he has made such a bright start to the match.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Crystal Palace (Wilfried Bony)
City are first to strike this evening as Bony capitalises on some poor defending to give them the lead. The Ivorian brushes off his marker far too easily to meet Kolarov's corner, before diving in to plant a firm header past Hennessey and into the back of the net.
Pardew will be disappointed that his team have conceded from a set piece, but there is still plenty of time for them to fight back this evening. They have already shown their threat going forward and City haven't been quite so tight at the back in recent weeks.
SHOT! There's the danger from Palace I was talking about, as Zaha drives through the midfield. After skipping past a couple of challenges he gets to the edge of the box and decides to fire in a strike, which takes a slight deflection and ends up going behind for a corner.
It has been a very stop-start first half, given the earlier treatment that Bolasie received for his head injury. We have also just had another delay in play, with Bamford picking up a problem with his foot, so there could be plenty of time to add on before the break.
At the moment it's City who are on top and dominating possession, but they are not putting the Palace defence under too much pressure. They are missing quite a few of their more creative players, and it is showing at the moment, with most of their attacks breaking down quite easily.
SHOT! This is slightly better from the hosts, as Fernando charges through the midfield before squaring the ball to Bony. The Ivorian is just outside the box and lets the ball run across him before striking the ball, but he gets it all wrong and fires harmlessly over the bar.
SHOT! Another good chance for the Citizens and once again it's Bony who has it. He makes a good run into the box to meet Kolarov's low cross from the right, but he can't get enough power on his strike, which rolls straight through and into the grateful arms of Hennessey.
Palace looked very sharp going forward in the early stages of the match, but they have shown little threat since. Their build up play is lethargic at the moment and they are struggling to get the likes of Zaha and Bolasie on the ball.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Crystal Palace (Kevin De Bruyne)
With just a minute left of the first half City the Citizens double their lead thanks to a well-worked team move. Following a neat passage of play, Iheanacho is slid into the box down the right, before looking up and playing the ball to the back post where De Bruyne is on hand to slam home from just a couple of yards out.
CHANCE! Big chance for Palace to pull a goal back straight away, as Caballero makes a mess of claiming a cross and spills it into the path of Ledley. The Welshman is just a few yards out and looks odds-on to score, but he gets it all wrong and smashes the ball over the bar.
There are going to be five minutes added on before the break.
CHANCE! City are really finding their form now and De Bruyne does well to take down a long ball on the edge of the box, before spotting Navas making a run to his left. He then slides in the Spaniard, who breaks through on goal and sees his attempt well saved by the alert Hennessey.
HALF-TIME: Manchester City 2-0 Crystal Palace
It has not been a vintage display from Manchester City, but Manuel Pellegrini's side have taken their chances to go into the break with a two-goal lead. Wilfried Bony's header and Kevin De Bruyne's close-range strike are the difference, with the Citizens 45 minutes away from sealing a quarter-final berth.
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Lets take a quick look at the other half time scores from this evening's League Cup action. A goal from Nathaniel Clyne has given Liverpool a 1-0 lead over Bournemouth, while it is goalless between Southampton and Aston Villa. Manchester United are currently in action against Middlesbrough, where both teams have failed to score at Old Trafford.
The draw for the quarter-finals will take place as soon as Liverpool's tie with Bournemouth has finished at Anfield. Stoke City and Everton are two of the Premier League teams who made it through last night, with Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday of the Championship joining them after beating top flight opposition.
RESTART! City take the kick off and get the second half underway.
CHANCE! The home side almost wrap up the victory within just three minutes of the second half. Bony is the man who should score, as he is found completely unmarked inside the box by Fernando, but with just the keeper to beat, he blazes his strike over the bar.
YELLOW CARD! Kolarov picks up the first booking of the match for a foul on Bamford by the touchline.
OFF THE LINE! Caballero has not looked convincing at dealing with balls into his box and he gets nowhere near a free kick that is headed goalwards by Jedinak. The ball looks as if it will then drop into the back of the net, but Demichelis is quickly back on the line to slide in and make a vital clearance.
SUB! Zabaleta has been in the wars this evening, and after that knock to his head in the first half, he is stretchered off here following a clash with Zaha. He was down for quite a few moments, but now Sagna is on to take his place at right-back.
CHANCE! Another big chance for City to kill the tie as they break quickly with Iheanacho leading the charge. He then slips the ball wide to De Bruyne, who looks to curl a strike into the far corner, but Hennessey pulls out a superb save to prevent a certain goal.
GOAL! Manchester City 3-0 Crystal Palace (Kelechi Iheanacho)
This should surely confirm City's passage into the quater-finals as the impressive Iheanacho bags their third goal of the evening. Palace had failed to clear following the last attack from the hosts, and when the ball comes to De Bruyne down the left, he looks up and drills in a low cross to Iheanacho, that the Nigerian controls, before turning and firing a strike into the corner.
CHANCE! Palace have certainly had their chances to score this evening and Zaha takes down Bolasie's floated ball into the box, before laying it off to Bamford. The striker is just a few yards out and goes to place an effort into the corner, but Caballero stands firm and makes a fine block to deny him.
With the game seemingly won, City may think about resting a couple of players for this weekend's match against Norwich. However, they may chose to rotate their squad for that fixture too, with a huge game in the Champions League away to Sevilla just days later.
The main difference between the teams this evening has been their finishing, with City showing a far more clinical touch in the box. Palace have created some really promising openings, with Bolasie, Ledley and Bamford all failing to score from close range.
SUBS! Changes for both teams, as Palace bring on Chung-Yong to replace Mutch, while Roberts is on for the Citizens in place of De Bruyne.
PENALTY TO MANCHESTER CITY! The Citizens will have the chance to score a fourth goal after Delaney hauls down Mangala inside the box from a corner. It was a clear foul and Toure is over the ball ready to take the spot kick.
GOAL! Manchester City 4-0 Crystal Palace (Yaya Toure)
Toure makes no mistake from the spot, with a confident finish into the corner that has far too much on it for Hennessey to save. The Ivorian has deserved his goal for a commanding display throughout this second half.
SUB! Palace respond to conceding by bringing on Gayle up front to replace the disappointing Bamford.
YELLOW CARD! Zaha is the second Palace player to be shown a card this evening for hauling back Navas, as the Spaniard charged past him down the left.
Although the scoreline is slightly harsh on Palace, City have been ruthless at home once again. They scored plenty of goals in their recent games against Newcastle and Bournemouth, and they have done it tonight once again without their top marksman Aguero.
SUBS! Again both teams are making a change, as Garcia comes on for Bony for the hosts, while for Palace, Mariappa makes way for Ward.
CHANCE! Even now Palace can't get on the scoresheet as a corner drops kindly to an unmarked Delaney at the back post. The defender takes a touch and slams in a shot on the half-volley, but he gets underneath the ball and fires it high into the stands.
GOAL! Manchester City 4-1 Crystal Palace (Damien Delaney)
Palace do manage to find the net, but it's far too late to make any difference to the outcome this evening. Having just missed a good chance to score, Delaney is found by Bolasie inside the box, before thumping a header into the corner and beyond the grasp of Caballero.
There are going to be at least five minutes of stoppage time added on.
GOAL! Manchester City 5-1 Crystal Palace (Manu Garcia)
What a way to finish the tie for City, as 17-year-old Garcia gets in on the action with his first goal for the club. The youngster is found at the back post by Iheanacho following another quick City break, before taking a touch and sliding the ball past Hennessey.
FULL-TIME: Manchester City 5-1 Crystal Palace
That goal from Garcia was the last action of the match and helped to complete a fine night's work for City. They turned on the style to keep up their great goalscoring form at home and remain on course to taste League Cup success for the second time in three seasons.
Thank you for joining us for coverage of tonight's match. Don't forget that we will have the draw for the quarter-finals in full coming up for you shortly, as well as reaction to all this evening's games. Until next time, goodbye!
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Written by
Alex Meyers
Alex Meyers
