OVER THE LINE
Dodgy goal helps City to Wembley
ROBERTO MARTINEZ was left seething by a mistake from the officials last night that he claimed cost Everton a place in the Capital One Cup final.
Manchester City will face Liverpool at Wembley on February 28, but Martinez was furious that one of referee Martin Atkinson’s assistants, Scott Ledger, failed to spot that Raheem Sterling had run the ball out of play before crossing for the crucial second goal. Kevin de Bruyne, who ended up being carried off after sustaining a serious knee injury, applied the finish to Sterling’s cross but Everton’s manager said: ‘When the ball is out of play, you don’t expect that to be missed. You can
imagine the major blow that has on our feelings. We showed in two games we are capable of winning a title. As painful as this is, it should give us the final push to become a winning team. ‘That decision affected us too much. That is why it hurts. You are finding it very difficult to get an explanation in the dressing room as to why we have been knocked out. ‘The second goal is a key moment. The momentum changes. It’s so clear and so big in the way the game was developing. It’s heartbreaking. I don’t think anyone would disagree the goal was the major change in the tie. The ball is clearly out. It’s not one of those where it’s the judgment of the referee — the ball is out of play and shouldn’t have gone in the back of the net. I will never blame a referee in terms of achieving, but that cost us a goal.’ However, City manager Manuel Pellegrini said: ‘I think Everton cannot complain about the referee. We lost at Goodison with a clear offside for the first goal and never got a clear penalty for (a foul on) Jesus Navas.’ De Bruyne will have scans today. It is almost certain he will miss the final but Pellegrini hopes he will play again this season, saying: ‘The doctor thinks he has a problem in his medial ligament but it is impossible to say yet. I am optimistic he will not be out for the rest of the season.’