Man City 7-0 Sheff Wed: Inspiration from Frank Lampard

The veteran England midfielder scored twice and assisted a goal in the third round of the League Cup, where Man City unleashed their fury on Sheffield Wednesday yesterday, September 24.

Sheffield made a positive impression by holding firm throughout the first half, but what happened after the break was more than a nightmare for the Championship side.

City, inspired by Frank Lampard, were transformed from a poor first half and poured seven goals into the visitors' net. Between the first and last goals, Lampard won a penalty for Yaya Toure to make it 4-0. City's other goals came from Dzeko (a brace), Navas and youngster Jose Angel Pozo from the bench.

After shining against his former team Chelsea, Lampard (left) continued to make important contributions to help Man City win the League Cup. Photo: AFP.

These seven goals not only helped Man City get off to a good start in the tournament where they won the Cup last season, but also acted as a roar to show the prestige of this giant after four consecutive draws and losses in other competitions. Pellegrini's army had previously been held to draws by Arsenal and Chelsea, interspersed with two defeats by Stoke and Bayern.

The desire to win was the reason why Pellegrini went against the convention of big teams participating in the League Cup, when he launched a team with quite a lot of important players such as Yaya Toure, Lampard, Dzeko, Navas, Milner. But that star squad encountered many difficulties against a stubborn Sheffield, who defended disciplined in the first half.

However, Man City's high tempo and intense pressure early in the second half caused Sheffield to collapse. After scoring against his former club Chelsea to salvage a point in the Premier League at the weekend, Lampard continued his scoring streak with a close-range finish to open the scoring for Man City in the 47th minute.

In the 53rd minute, the gap was doubled when Navas crossed the ball from the right accurately for Dzeko to finish into the far corner - the Bosnian striker's 10th goal in 11 League Cup matches. Navas then personally put his name on the scoreboard with a decisive shot from the 16m50 area.

Sheffield fell apart and gave up after defender Zayatte was sent off for a foul on Lampard in the box, leading to a penalty that Yaya Toure converted. Toure then left the pitch, making way for Pozo - an 18-year-old Spanish striker who Man City had signed from Real Madrid's youth team two years ago.

Man City were superior in every aspect against Sheffield Wednesday and were only unlucky, having their goal denied once, from failing to score in the first half. Photo: AFP.

But City wasted no time in adding to their lead against a completely disintegrated Sheffield United side. Dzeko made it 5-0 with a thunderous header from Kolarov's cross, before Pozo struck from Navas's pass. Lampard shone again in the second minute of stoppage time, receiving the ball from Kolarov and finishing neatly from the centre of the box to make it 7-0.

Line-up:

Man City: Caballero, Demichelis, Sagna, Kolarov, Mangala, Lampard, Touré (Pozo 64), Milner (Sinclair 73), Jesús Navas, Fernandinho (Boyata 70), Dzeko.

Unused subs: Hart, Kompany, Clichy, Boyata.

Goals: Lampard 47, 90, Dzeko 53, 77, Navas 54, Touré 60, Pozo 88.

Sheffield Wednesday: Kirkland, Zayatte, Buxton, Mattock, Lees, Maguire, May, Palmer (Helan 70), Coke (Dielna 61), Maghoma, Madine (Nuhiu 61).

Subs not used: Westwood, Semedo, Nuhiu, Drenthe, Hope.

Red card: Zayatte