Gabriel Jesus scored four goals as defending champion Manchester City destroyed third tier Burton Albion 9-0 in its League Cup semi-final first leg, a record margin of victory in the competition’s last four.
Gabriel Jesus (in blue) scored four goals against League One side Burton Albion
Manchester:
Burton should have drawn level in the 12th minute, but Marcus Myers-Harness wasted a glorious chance, shooting wastefully wide when left unmarked at the back post. From then on, it was a painful night of damage limitation for the team from the Midlands.
Jesus opened his account on the half hour, heading in from close range after Leroy Sane’s shot had been blocked by keeper Bradley Collins, with the ball popping up invitingly for the Brazilian. Four minutes later, Jesus made it 3-0 with a low drive that went in off the post. Ukrainian Oleksandr Zinchenko added the fourth, lobbing Collins with a lofted shot from nearly 30 metres out.
Jesus completed his hat-trick in the 57th minute with a header from a Riyad Mahrez cross before substitute Phil Foden made it 6-0 in the 62nd — slotting home after Collins had blocked a Jesus shot. The seventh — Jesus’s fourth — was a clever flick from close-range after Sane had once again burst into the area on the left flank.
Burton was completely unable to defend that part of the field and even with Sane subbed off, Mahrez broke into that area and his low cross was turned in by Kyle Walker to make it 8-0. Mahrez poked in the ninth after good work from substitute Bernardo Silva and that was all for City despite the crowd urging it to push for a 10th.
League One Burton, managed by Nigel Clough, must endure another 90 minutes at its own ground on January 23 before City formally books its place in the final. Manager Pep Guardiola fielded a strong starting line-up and City quickly established its dominance, with Kevin De Bruyne steering in a header from an excellent lofted ball from David Silva to open the scoring in the fifth minute.
Burton should have drawn level in the 12th minute, but Marcus Myers-Harness wasted a glorious chance, shooting wastefully wide when left unmarked at the back post. From then on, it was a painful night of damage limitation for the team from the Midlands.
Jesus opened his account on the half hour, heading in from close range after Leroy Sane’s shot had been blocked by keeper Bradley Collins, with the ball popping up invitingly for the Brazilian. Four minutes later, Jesus made it 3-0 with a low drive that went in off the post. Ukrainian Oleksandr Zinchenko added the fourth, lobbing Collins with a lofted shot from nearly 30 metres out.
Jesus completed his hat-trick in the 57th minute with a header from a Riyad Mahrez cross before substitute Phil Foden made it 6-0 in the 62nd — slotting home after Collins had blocked a Jesus shot. The seventh — Jesus’s fourth — was a clever flick from close-range after Sane had once again burst into the area on the left flank.
Burton was completely unable to defend that part of the field and even with Sane subbed off, Mahrez broke into that area and his low cross was turned in by Kyle Walker to make it 8-0. Mahrez poked in the ninth after good work from substitute Bernardo Silva and that was all for City despite the crowd urging it to push for a 10th.