Manchester City vs. Hull: Score, Reaction from 2015 Capital One Cup Match

Manchester City progressed to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup after beating Hull City 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

Wilfried Bony opened the scoring early before substitute Kelechi Iheanacho and a Kevin De Bruyne brace made sure of the result late on, while Andrew Robertson claimed a last-minute consolation.

The hosts were largely untroubled as they controlled the proceedings from midfield, though they created relatively few clear-cut chances until the later stages.

To make sure of the result, City kicked off with a strong team including David Silva, who started for the first time in two months.   

PAUL ELLIS/Getty Images

From the outset the Tigers were set up to get all 10 outfield players behind the ball whenever City pushed forward, but the visitors were helpless to prevent Bony's opener after 11 minutes.

De Bruyne crashed an effort onto the post from outside the area, and the Ivorian was by far the quickest to react as he pounced on the rebound to tuck home from a fairly narrow angle.

Though the Belgian may not be credited with an assist, he continues to make incisive contributions to the cause, per Squawka Football:

There were precious few chances in the remainder of the half.

For the hosts they fell for the electric Silva, who hit the side netting from a tight angle, and Bony, who sent an effort straight at Eldin Jakupovic from distance.

Meanwhile, Hull were twice able to force saves from Willy Caballero through Isaac Hayes and Chuba Akpom on their rare forays forward, but both were routinely dealt with.

Despite City's comfort, Leon Wobschall of the Yorkshire Post believed their inability to kill off the game gave the Tigers a chance:

"

HT 1-0 Man City. Few scares for the hosts, but Tigers still in it. Signs of life towards HT, City getting a touch sloppy #hcafc #ypfootball

— leon wobschall (@LeonWobYP) December 1, 2015"

The hosts almost enjoyed a repeat of Bony's goal nine minutes into the second half when De Bruyne sent another effort flying at goal. This time, his shot was beaten away by Jakupovic. Once again Bony looked to get on the end of the rebound, but the Hull players learned from their earlier mistake and scrambled the ball to safety.

City continued to turn the screw as Jesus Navas sent a well-struck shot narrowly wide, and De Bruyne hit yet another effort from 30 yards to force another save from Jakupovic.

Meanwhile, Silva continued to impress, and he sent two dangerous efforts just wide. In particular, Rob Pollard of the Manchester Evening News was taken by the Spaniard's effervescent performance:

"

Hard to believe Silva was out for so long. What an unbelievably good player.

— Rob (@RobPollard_) December 1, 2015"

Akpom tested Caballero once more after a delightful pass from Mohamed Diame, but just as they looked like they might find a way back, City's pressure told on the 79th minute.

After some good work down the left, Raheem Sterling whipped an excellent delivery into the box for Iheanacho to finish.

Just three minutes later, De Bruyne raced onto the youngster's flick-on to stab home City's third, and shortly after that the 24-year-old powered in a delicious free-kick—his ninth since joining the club.

Jon Super/Associated Press

The scoring wasn't finished there, though, as Robertson played a lovely one-two with Abel Hernandez before applying a smart finish past Caballero.

The Sky Blues are certainly the team to beat in the competition, though they will of course be hoping to avoid Liverpool in Wednesday's draw provided the Reds overcome Southampton. Meanwhile, Everton continue to impress as they eased past Middlesbrough.

In the meantime, Silva's return and De Bruyne's continued excellence will provide great encouragement to City supporters as the club faces a tight title race in the Premier League.

Post-Match Reaction

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini expressed his pride at the performance and praised the opposition, as well as giving his take on Silva, Iheanacho and Bony, per the club's official Twitter feed:

Hull manager Steve Bruce defended his team selection after making seven changes and believed they put in a good performance.

According to Philip Buckingham of the Hull Daily Mail, he said: "The same squad beat Leicester and Swansea so I’ve got to stay true to them. We gave as good as we got. We’re disappointed because we’re out in the quarter-finals but coming here was always going to be a tall order."