Manchester United lost to Championship side Bristol City in the quart finals of the EFL Cup on Wednesday December 20. A stoppage time effort from Korey Smith won the game for City after the game had been tied at 1-1.
It is such an historic win for The Robins who have reached the last four of the FA Cup or EFL Cup only four times. Since dropping from the top flight in the 1980s, they have struggled to keep going. They have spent a lot of years in the third and second tiers but of recent they have been an exciting side to watch. The head coach is young and youthful at heart, the owner is supportive and the players are dedicated so there is surely a promise of something special.
In the last nine months Coach Lee Johnson has overseen a huge turnaround. After a very poor run of 15 losses in 19 games, the owner Steve Lansdown continued to support him. The team reversed their fate and has now won nine of their past 11 games. They are in third place in the Championship and are contenders for promotion to the top flight at the end of the season.
Joe Bryan scored in the 51st minute only for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to restore parity minutes later. In the 93rd minute, Smith’s last gasp effort beat Sergio Romero for the win. Bristol would now face Manchester City next in the last four in January.
They would play Pep Guardiola’s Team B over two legs. The month of January is a general busy schedule for the top teams as they would be managing demands in the league, and then the EFL and FA Cup would join even as they prepare for the forthcoming Champions League Round of 16 in February. If Bristol can shock City, then they would enter their first ever final in history.