© EuroFootball.com
"Liverpool" after a dramatic battle snatched a 2-2 draw with "Man City" and advanced to the final of the English League Cup, where they will meet the team from the second league "Cardiff". In the first match, the 'Reds' won 1-0 as visitors, and in the late Wednesday evening they barely managed to retain this fragile advantage. The Manchester team broke through in the 31st minute when Nigel de Jong scored a spectacular long-range shot into the net, but in the 40th minute Steven Gerrard converted a penalty from 11 meters and equalized. However, the episode that led to the penalty caused a storm of discussions. "Liverpool" defender Daniel Agger shot from 12 meters towards the goal and the ball bounced off Micah Richards' foot and then - into his hand. According to experts, although the hand was raised high, the referee could have allowed play to continue, as the "Man City" player could not have expected such a ricochet. Others emphasize that the ball was heading towards the goal area, but was stopped illegally, so the referee acted correctly. Despite these discussions, in the 67th minute Roberto Mancini's players took another step towards victory when Edin Dzeko scored, but in the 74th minute Craig Bellamy responded with a goal. During the remaining time, the hosts, who were impressively battled against by "Man City" goalkeeper Joe Hart, managed to hold on and will play in the final at London's Wembley Stadium for the first time since 1996. "Liverpool" 2 - 2 "Man City" (first leg 1-0, overall result 3-2) 31' [0 - 1] N.de Jong 40' [1 - 1] S.Gerrard (from 11m. penalty) 67' [1 - 2] E.Dzeko 74' [2 - 2] C.Bellamy Key moments: Detailed analysis:
