LONDON — Manchester City swept into the League Cup final with a ruthless 3-0 win at West Ham Tuesday which completed a 9-0 aggregate victory in a brutally one-sided semifinal.



Manuel Pellegrini’s side had already effectively booked its place at Wembley after winning the first leg 6-0 at Eastlands, but it didn’t take it easy in the return at Upton Park.



Alvaro Negredo and Sergio Aguero put City two goals up before half-time in east London and Negredo struck again after the break to cap another clinical display from one of the most potent strike-forces in Europe.



City will face arch-rival Manchester United in the final on March 2 if David Moyes’ side can overturn a 2-1 deficit in the second leg of their semifinal at Old Trafford Wednesday.



With City in possession of a seemingly unassailable advantage, Pellegrini made eight changes from the side that beat Cardiff in the Premier League Saturday.



West Ham’s creaky defense was breached with less than three minutes played. City’s teenage Portuguese winger Marcos Lopes had time and space to float a cross into the six-yard box, where Spanish striker Negredo rose completely unmarked to power a header past Jussi Jaaskelainen from close-range.



Aguero, making his first start since December after a calf injury, threatened again with a surging run and shot which Jaaskelainen pushed away for a corner.



But Aguero wasn’t to be denied for long as the Argentine forward punished more woeful West Ham defending to increase City’s lead in the 24th minute.



West Ham center-backs Roger Johnson and James Tomkins stood statuesque as the impressive Lopes advanced into the penalty area, where the ball ran for Aguero to calmly sweep a low shot past Jaaskelainen for his 22nd goal of the campaign.



Aguero’s class is undeniable but he showed the ugly side of his game soon after when he was fortunate to escape with a yellow card for a stamp on Tomkins.



Allardyce surrendered at half-time as he took off Carroll to keep him free from injury for the more important task of saving West Ham from relegation.



West Ham held the record for the most goals scored in a League Cup semifinal, when Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore and company racked up a 10-3 aggregate win over Cardiff in 1966.



And City had that achievement in its sights when Negredo barged his way through the Hammers defense once again before stretching to clip his shot over Jaaskelainen in the 59th minute for his 23rd goal of the season. In the end, City settled for just three goals and its thoughts had already turned to Wembley long before the final whistle put West Ham out of its misery. — AFP