Manchester rivals to meet in semi-final

Local rivals Manchester City and Manchester United will meet in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup after being drawn together in the last four.

City, who will host the first leg, earned their place in the draw with an eye-catching 3-0 win against Arsenal at the City of Manchester Stadium tonight.

United progressed with a 2-0 win over Tottenham last night.

The first match will be played during the week commencing January 4, with the return clash at Old Trafford taking place two weeks later.

City boss Mark Hughes welcomed the double-header in confident fashion.

He told Sky Sports 1: “We are just taking in the events of this evening but they’re going to be two fantastic games and the whole of Manchester will be tuning in and looking forward to some fantastic games.”

He added: “Over two games we’d fancy our chances against anyone left in the draw, so bring them on.

“We’ve frustrated our fans and ourselves in recent weeks but when we play like that we are very strong.”