A Merseyside derby in the English league Cup final was closer to reality after Everton beat Manchester City 2-1 in the first leg of their semifinal on Wednesday, with in-form Romelu lukaku grabbing the winner.
lukaku scored his 19th goal of the season when he headed home late at Goodison Park, giving Everton a deserved lead to take to City for the second leg on Jan. 27.
liverpool, Everton’s close neighbor and biggest rival, leads Stoke 1-0 after the first leg of the other semifinal.
Ramiro Funes Mori put Everton ahead in first-half injury time, steering home a rebound from close range after Ross Barkley’s shot was parried out. In second half City equalised on a counterattack in the 76th.
Sergio Aguero controlled a long clearance forward and had only two defenders in front of him on the halfway line.
The striker laid in a perfectly weighted pass for substitute Jesus Navas to score.
But two minutes later lukaku had the final say. He has failed to score in only two of his last 12 games in all competitions.