Man City 3-2 Liverpool: Nathan Ake header settles Carabao Cup thriller and seals quarter-final spot

Manchester City and Liverpool played out a five-goal Carabao Cup thriller on their respective returns to competitive action following the World Cup break.

There is never a dull moment when the two leading powerhouses of modern English football lock horns and that certainly proved to be the case once again in a pre-Christmas cracker at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday night.

Nathan Ake’s header from a pinpoint Kevin De Bruyne cross after Liverpool were caught napping from a short corner just before the hour mark proved to be the decisive moment in a dramatic fourth-round affair as eight-time winners City became the final team to book their place in the 2022/23 quarter-final lineup.

That came after an electric opening to the second half that saw Riyad Mahrez execute a brilliant touch and rifled finish, only for Liverpool to hit straight back as the searing pace of Darwin Nunez created a tap-in for Mo Salah.

City started brilliantly on the night and spurned great chances before Erling Haaland beat Joe Gomez to De Bruyne’s enticing cross to give them a deserved lead inside 10 minutes, yet Fabio Carvalho was then able to sweep home coolly against the run of play from James Milner’s pass to put Liverpool level at the interval.

However, the holders could not muster one last comeback as they fell to defeat ahead of the big Premier League restart over the festive period.

For Liverpool, it was the end of their five-match unbeaten run against City, with a trip to Aston Villa to come on Boxing Day as they bid to close the gap to the top four after a difficult first half of the campaign in the top flight.

Meanwhile, City are back in action against Leeds at Elland Road on December 28 with a double-header against Chelsea looming in the New Year.