Everton vs. Manchester City: Winners and Losers from Capital One Cup

Everton hold a slim advantage after beating Manchester City 2-1 in the first leg of the two teams' Capital One Cup semi-final on Wednesday night at Goodison Park.

Ramiro Funes Mori fired the hosts into the lead just before halftime, but Man City drew level in the 76th minute through Jesus Navas. Romelu Lukaku restored the advantage just two minutes later, heading in the winner before going off injured.

The second leg is scheduled for Jan. 27 at the Etihad Stadium.

"Goodison Park was rocking," Everton manager Roberto Martinez said, per BBC Sport. "The character we showed was incredible. We had to cope with losing Tom Cleverly and Lukaku got a knock and we finished with 10 men. The reaction after conceding was excellent."

Martinez added: "It means nothing. It is the first leg we had to win and now we prepare for a very interesting second leg."

Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.

Winner: Romelu Lukaku

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Romelu Lukaku scored yet again for Everton, heading the winner past Willy Caballero in the 78th minute—just two minutes after Jesus Navas had drawn Manchester City level.

As confirmed by Opta Joe, this was Lukaku's 12th goal in his last 12 games for the Toffees. That's an outstanding record, and this latest strike was a very good finish, though questions should be asked of Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis over his positioning on the play.

Worryingly for Everton, however, Lukaku pulled up with an injury immediately after scoring. He made way for substitute Arouna Kone in the 82nd minute.

With a difficult stretch of fixtures coming up, Everton can't afford to have Lukaku out for any extended amount of time.

The Toffees host Dagenham and Redbridge in the FA Cup on Saturday before playing back-to-back away games against Manchester City and Chelsea in the Premier League.

Loser: City's Defending at Key Moments

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Another game, another failure to keep a clean sheet. Manchester City's problems in the absence of Vincent Kompany are well documented, and Wednesday's loss only further underlined the issues.

City came undone on a set piece just before halftime, which hints at a loss of concentration and deficiencies in marking. Manager Manuel Pellegrini took off Eliaquim Mangala at halftime, replacing him with Martin Demichelis, but the latter did little better. 

Demichelis had no idea where Lukaku was when the Belgian headed in Everton's second goal, and considering the form Lukaku is in, that's a recipe for trouble. Once again, with Everton scoring so quickly after City had drawn level, there must be questions about mentality and organization.

According to Stuart Brennan at the Manchester Evening News, the center-backs weren't the only Man City players who deserved blame:

"

The defence will be fingered for the blame, but Romelu Lukaku and his pals were always going to force the issue—and if City had a bit more about them going forward, they would have achieved parity at least. No good blaming Mangala, or Otamendi, or Caballero—heroes like Silva, De Bruyne and Aguero were equally poor.

"

Regardless of who's to blame, City have their work cut out for them in the second leg.

Winner: Ramiro Funes Mori's Decisive Contribution at Both Ends

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Ramiro Funes Mori made two decisive contributions near the end of the first half. They happened within moments of each other, though at opposite ends of the pitch.

First, Mori made a crucial block to stop Sergio Aguero from opening the scoring for Manchester City in the 42nd minute. Then, in first-half stoppage time, the Argentine was on hand to turn in the rebound after Willy Caballero had parried Ross Barkley's fierce shot.

That was Funes Mori's second goal in an Everton shirt, and it came at a crucial point for the Toffees. Both player and club will be pleased tonight.

Winner: Sergio Aguero on the Counter

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Sergio Aguero has needed time to make a full recovery from injury, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. On Wednesday, however, he flashed some eye-popping skills on the counter, and his brilliance led to City's only goal of the night.

In the 76th minute, Fernandinho cleared City's area following an Everton attack. Aguero controlled the ball near midfield with impressive skill, then held play up long enough to allow Jesus Navas to run into the danger area on the left. 

Finally, Aguero played a perfectly weighted ball to his teammate, who side-footed in calmly. Navas' name will go on the scoresheet, but nobody contributed more to the goal than Aguero.

Few will argue that Aguero at full fitness is a fearsome player. He might not be there yet, but Aguero appears to be gaining strength with each successive game.

Winners: Muhamed Besic and Gareth Barry

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Muhamed Besic and Gareth Barry aren't the most glamorous of names in English football. But on Wednesday, the Everton duo turned in an outstanding shift in central midfield, playing a key role in the Toffees' victory. 

Barry, who captained Everton on the night, reminded all onlookers of the qualities that made him a £12 million signing for Manchester City in 2009. He hardly put a foot wrong all night, making a strong case to be man of the match.

Besic played off Barry very well, complementing the veteran with loads of energy and several crunching tackles.

"Gareth Barry delivered a masterclass out there tonight," tweeted BBC Sport's Phil McNulty. "The perfect senior partner to abrasive, energetic Mo Besic."