Capital One Cup: Everton 2-1 Manchester City- 5 Talking Points

Everton go into the second leg of the semis at the Etihad with a potentially crucial one-goal advantageEverton drew first blood in the semi-finals of the Capital One cup as they overcame Manchester City 2-1 at Goodison Park and will take a slender one-goal advantage into the second leg at the Etihad in two weeks time.After getting denied by the offside flag twice in quick succession, the Toffees finally took the lead through Ramiro Funes Mori, before Jesus Navas levelled the terms around the hour mark. The visitors’ jubilation, however, was cut short as Romelu Lukaku restored the lead with a close-range header just minutes later, but soon had to limp off with an injury.The Belgian’s premature departure may come as a matter of concern for manager Roberto Martinez, but it had little impact on the field as Everton held on to enter the return leg with a slight upper hand. Here are the major talking points from the second semi-finals of 2015/16 Capital One Cup.

#1 Lukaku and Barkley repay manager\'s faith

Lukaku has now scored 19 goals this season in all competitions for Everton

Everton manager Roberto Martinez recently waxed lyrical about his squad quoting they have “probably the most talented group of young players in English and European football”. Considering the topsy-turvy season the Merseysiders are having, the Spaniard appeared to just shoot his mouth off. But with the victory over City in the League Cup, Lukaku and Barkley add some substance to his words.

The duo shone bright for the home side and weighed in with the most pivotal contributions. Lukaku shimmied past Otamendi and Demichelis to head home the winner, latching beautifully on to Gareth Barry's cross from the flank to take his tally to a staggering 19 for the season already.

The goal underlined the former Chelsea man’s tendency to be at the right place at the right time and what a reliable outlet he's been upfront. Supporting him in his exploits was Barkley, whose vicious drive into the box culminated in the opener. He may have been denied by Willy Caballero twice late on, but his direct runs made the visitors panicky.

Their performance today goes some way in suggesting the young talent in the Everton roster, but to be called “the best”, they’ll have perform in the same vein for weeks to come.

#2 Midfield still a worry for City

Inconsistent performances in the City midfield has been a major let down for the Citizens

For all the talent, experience and quality in City’s midfield, there still persists certain issues that continue to plague them in big games. The visitors started off brightly, only to slacken off once Everton found their footing. City found it hard to dominate in the centre of the park which is why the defeat.

With Yaya Toure operating right behind the striker, Fabian Delph dropped deep and seemingly there was no link between the two. The hosts were afforded enough space to build attacks from the midfield and things did not change by any means for the Citizens even when the Ivorian tracked back.

The midfield dilemma is one of the major reasons for City’s inability to launch a sustained title challenge this term, and needs to be ironed out soon to harbor any hopes of a major silverware in this campaign.

#3 Aguero not at his clinical best yet

It was evident that the Argentine striker was not yet at his clinical best since his return from injury recently

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has recouped his attacking duties tout de suit since returning from his spell on the sidelines. The Argentine was on target against Watford at the weekend and played another instrumental role for his side against Everton when he laid a superb cross for Navas to score the equaliser. However, there were moments in the game that suggests he isn’t at his clinical best yet.

Aguero found the going hard against his marker and was also the cynosure for missing a gilt-edged opportunity in the second half. David Silva found Aguero from eight yards out and after positioning himself, blasted a shot well off target when he should have found the net without any hitch.

Had the ball been into the back of the net, it would have been a whole different ball-game altogether, but his terrible miss may also prove to be a costly one if City do not overturn the deficit in the reverse fixture.

#4 Martinez strikes when iron was hot

Roberto Martinez shows his tactical turrets.

Identifying the visitors’ limitations, Everton boss Roberto Martinez tinkered with his formation and tried to adapt a style that would only pile more problems on City.

Martinez adopted an unfamiliar 4-3-3 formation and also deployed Muhamed Besic in the centre to provide an extra cover and overload the area. The ploy yielded dividends as City were run over in the midfield and Everton appeared to be the better side going forward. The hosts put the visiting side on the edge and eventually ran away with a win.

Roberto Martinez played his cards really well and will certainly be patting himself on the back for that.

#5 Tie far from over

Whilst the Capital One Cup isn’t as coveted as the Premier League title, the way Everton and Manchester City played, it seems they are taking it very seriously. The Toffees gaffer Roberto Martinez has insisted on a top four finish as his primary target, whereas anything but a major trophy, like the Premier League or the Champions League, will mean Manuel Pelligrini loses his job.

Yet, both sides went toe-to-toe for the clash and played out a fierce encounter. The sides made minimal changes in the line-up thrown on the field, underlining how much they value this championship and played it like a final.

The teams have sounded their ambitions about the competition. Everton may go full hammer and tongs in preserving the lead at the Etihad, whilst Manchester City are set to go all guns blazing for an overturn.

The knives are already out and the second leg promises to be just as much of an end-to-end affair as the tie is far from over.