SAN FRANCISCO, December 24, (THEWILL) – The draw for the next stages of the English Football League (EFL) Carabao Cup competition has pitched one side of the city of Manchester against the other with the promise of thrilling football to look forward to. United will face City at Old Trafford in one part of the 2020/21 semi-finals of the 61st season of the competition.
Organised by the EFL, the Carabao Cup is open to any football club within the top four levels of the English football league system, which comprises 92 clubs in total from the top level Premier League, and the three divisions of the English Football League’s own league competition, which are the Championship, League One and League Two.
First held in the 1960/1961 season as the Football League Cup, it remains today one of the three top-tier domestic football competitions in England, existing alongside the Premier League and FA Cup. Winners receive the EFL Cup and also qualify for European football.
The draw that determined the next contestants for the semi-finals was made following the last game of this season’s quarter-finals that saw United score two late goals through Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial against Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton.
The other parties in the semi-final race and who will contend for a place in the final are Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur and the giant-killers, the EFL Championship side, Brentford FC.
Due to the congestion of fixtures occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic, the semi-finals for this year have been reduced to one leg, winner-takes-all fixtures. Again, to allow for the possibility of fans attending the final in-person inside Wembley Stadium, the final has been moved from its traditional late February slot to a new date of Sunday 25, April 2021.
Having lost to eventual winners and defending champions Manchester City last term, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have a chance at redemption and the promise to reach that showpiece occasion and ultimately win the competition to add to the club’s tally of five trophies so far.
They will also hope to end their neighbours’ firm and long-running grip on the trophy as the men from the Etihad have won the Cup for three seasons running, the first of which was succeeding United in 2017.
In comfortable fashion, City overcame Arsenal 4-1 on Tuesday to confirm their place in the semi-finals while, in the other Carabao Cup quarter-finals, Brentford saw off another Premier League challenger with a delightful 1-0 triumph at home to Newcastle United.
However, former Nigerian playmaker Mikel Obi’s Championship side Stoke City could not replicate Brentford’s tenacity and lost 3-1 to their visitors Tottenham Hotspur.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
