Man City Reaches League Cup Final Despite 2nd-Leg Loss to Man United

MANCHESTER, England (AP) – Manchester City will get the chance to win the English League Cup for a third straight season after advancing to the final despite losing 1-0 to Manchester United in the second leg of their semifinal on Wednesday.

Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, United moved to within a goal of City on aggregate when Nemanja Matic swept home a powerful finish off the post in the 35th minute.

City dominated the match at Etihad Stadium, with Raheem Sterling wasting two clear-cut chances, but United stayed in the game until Matic was sent off in the 76th after collecting his second yellow card.

Pep Guardiola's team will play Aston Villa in the title match at Wembley Stadium on March 1, and will be big favorite having won a Premier League game between the teams 6-1 this month.

City has won the second-tier cup competition the past two years, four times in the last six seasons, and six times in total.

United can at least take pride in beating its neighbor away for the second time in two months, having also won at the Etihad in the league.