Man City, Tottenham Advance in League Cup
Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko scored in extra time to send Manchester City into the League Cup quarterfinals with a 2-0 win at Newcastle on Wednesday, while Tottenham needed a penalty shootout to earn a place in the last eight.
Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th.
In the other fourth-round match, Tottenham and Hull were level at 2-2 after extra time. Hull player Ahmed Elmohamady, who gave away the penalty converted by Roberto Soldado at White Hart Lane in Hull's 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday, missed the decisive spot-kick.
Gylfi Sigurdsson's 25-yard (meter) shot in the first half had put the home side ahead, before American goalkeeper Brad Friedel fumbled the ball into his own net.
Paul McShane scored in extra time to give Tottenham the lead, but Hull substitute Harry Kane made it 2-2. Tottenham prevailed 8-7 on penalties.
"To a man my players were magnificent. They didn't deserve to go out of the Cup but it wasn't our day today. We had the better chances," Hull manager Steve Bruce said.
At St. James's Park, Negredo calmly tapped the ball in to put his team ahead after Dzeko sent in a low cross from the left side of the area that Newcastle defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa failed to intercept.
David Silva and James Milner combined well to set up the second goal. Milner found Dzeko with a superb pass that the Bosnian striker converted.
Dzeko praised City backup goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon's performance after the Romanian player kept the pressure on City's No. 1 keeper Joe Hart.
"He was great. This is the second game in the Cup that he hasn't conceded a goal, so he's definitely improving," Dzeko said.
City coach Manuel Pellegrini made 10 changes to the side that lost to Chelsea at the weekend. His team soon came under pressure and was lucky not to concede when Papiss Cisse's clever lob over goalkeeper Pantilimon flew just wide in the eighth minute.
Without Vincent Kompany, City's defense looked shaky and following a free kick and a melee in the box, Newcastle fans erupted in cheers when Ameobi slotted in from close range — only to see his goal disallowed for offside.
City became more dangerous on the break as the game opened up in the second half. James Milner curled a shot over an empty goal in the 63rd minute after Krul had been caught stranded and Negredo found the side-netting after a run into the area.
Pantilimon made a decisive save in the 91st minute after Hatem Ben Arfa found Cisse on his own, blocking the striker's poor finish before Negredo and Dzeko turned the match in City's favor.
"We're obviously disappointed not to score. We played well enough to warrant a goal and I couldn't ask more from the players," said Newcastle boss Alan Pardew, who had made a "priority" of the League Cup. "The performance level was really high but it was a hard match so it's a shame we didn't get our noses in front."
City will next face Leicester, while Tottenham will host West Ham in a London derby. Stoke faces Manchester United and Chelsea will play the winner of Sunderland vs. Southampton in the other quarterfinal.