Manchester City's League Cup reign ended in shootout after Phil Foden miss

Winners of the League Cup for the last four seasons, this week marked the fifth anniversary of the last time City were eliminated from the competition

West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Areola celebrates with Said Benrahma after winning the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match at the London Stadium. Picture: John Walton/PA

WEST HAM 0 MAN CITY 0 (5-3 on pens) 

There will be no mid-season Wembley final for Manchester City this year. Winners of the League Cup for the last four seasons, Pep Guardiola’s side fell short in a penalty shoot-out at the London Stadium with Said Benrahma converting the final spot-kick to confirm it will be West Ham who advance into the last eight.

This week marked the fifth anniversary of the last time City were eliminated from the competition but they were unable to extend their impressive run of success after failing to convert a number of chances to settle the tie in 90 minutes. Phil Foden then dragged his penalty wide in the shoot-out and with David Moyes’s players showing unerring accuracy with their attempts, City’s hold on the trophy was finally loosened.

Guardiola inevitably rang the changes but despite retaining only Kyle Walker and Ilkay Gundogan from the side that started in Saturday’s victory at Brighton, the Catalans’s team was still looked impressively strong and certainly didn’t lack for experience.

The exception was Cole Palmer, the youngster who had caught the eye during a brief substitute appearance in the Champions League last week when he stepped off the bench against Club Brugge and scored his first goal in the competition in a 5-1 victory.

Palmer, 19, has been in outstanding form for the club’s junior teams and drawn comparison with Foden, prompting hopes he could be the next youngster to come through the ranks and establish himself in Guardiola’s first-team plans.

Included for only his third senior start, the teenager lined up in the middle of a front three, with Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling starting on the flanks. The committed West Ham defence meant it was difficult for any of City’s forward players to make an impression during the first half but Palmer did manage to conjure his side’s only shot on target during the opening 45 minutes with his effort denied by keeper Alphonse Areola who was forced to use his legs to save.

City’s attacking efforts too often lacked a spark with Sterling enduring a particularly frustrating night as he struggled to find space inside the crowded attacking third. Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan were able to get forward freely as the visitors dominated possession and Fernandinho anchored the midfield but West Ham displayed impressive concentration to limit City’s threat.

Gundogan did look as though he had found a pocket of space on the edge of the six-yard box but a heavy first touch allowed Ben Johnson, the Hammers right-back, to nip in and clear.

Moyes’s side were attempting to repeat their fourth round success when they knocked out Manchester United but faced with the prospect of competing at home and abroad this season - they face Genk in their latest Europa League group game next Thursday - the Hammers manager made eight changes to the side that beat Tottenham Hotspur here last Sunday.

Moyes could be satisfied with the way his side worked to contain City but they offered little as an attacking force in the first half and when Mark Noble did force keeper Zack Steffen to punch clear when he struck a powerful shot from outside the area, the speed of City’s counter-attack almost caught the home side out.

Despite a frustrating 45 minutes, City should still have reached half-time ahead when Riyad Mahrez floated a free-kick towards Nathan Ake in the 45th minute. For once, the West Ham defence had switched off but the City defender wastefully sent his header wide of the far post.

The game was in desperate need of a lift and it came early in the second half when both teams finally adopted a more adventurous approach with chances finally coming at both ends during a frantic ten minute spell.

Arthur Masuaku, the West Ham midfielder, made a positive into the City box before directing a left-foot shot over the bar in the 50th minute and the visitors quickly countered with Gundogan shooting wide after being sent clear by a clever pass from Palmer.

Masuaku again tested Steffen with another powerful effort that the keeper parried into the path of Andriy Yarmolenko who looked certain to score at the far post before Oleksandr Zinchenko stepped in to block a close-range shot.

Again City responded, forcing a corner that led to John Stones drawing a fine save from Areola. Just a minute later, West Ham were applying pressure with Tomas Soucek guilty of shooting wide when he should have done much better after being set up by Nikola Vlasic.

City had the better chances late on but when Sterling directed a last-minute header at Areola, penalties were inevitable.

West Ham (4-2-3-1): Areola 8; Johnson 7, Dawson 8, Diop 7, Cresswell 7; Soucek 6, Noble 6; Yarmolenko 6 (Bowen 62, 6), Lanzini 6 (Coufal, 82, 6), Masuaku 6 (Fornals 62, 6); Vlasic 5 (Benrahma 62, 6).

Man City (4-3-3): Steffen 6; Walker 6 (Cancelo 46, 6), Stones 6, Ake 6, Zinchenko 7; De Bruyne 6 (Grealish 82, 6), Fernandinho 7, Gundogan 6; Mahrez 6 (Foden 72, 6), Palmer 7 (Jesus 76, 6), Sterling 6.

Referee: Jonathan Moss 6.