Where are they now? The Bristol City team which slayed Manchester United in Carabao Cup

Four years have passed since the Robins claimed a memorable victory over one of football’s biggest clubs and best managers.
Korey Smith sent Ashton Gate into a frenzy after his winner against United. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)Korey Smith sent Ashton Gate into a frenzy after his winner against United. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Korey Smith sent Ashton Gate into a frenzy after his winner against United. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Bristol City defeated José Mourinho’s Manchester United 2-1 in front of a sold-out Ashton Gate crowd in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup.

Korey Smith scored the winning goal after Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimović equalised following Joe Byran’s opener.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ibrahimović was just one of the star names that featured in the match, World Cup winner Paul Pogba, as well as England’s EURO 2020 finalists Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford also played.

Below is what those who made one of the finest nights in B36 are up to now.

Luke Steele didn’t make many first-team appearances for City. (Credit:GEOFF CADDICK/AFP via Getty Images)Luke Steele didn’t make many first-team appearances for City. (Credit:GEOFF CADDICK/AFP via Getty Images)
Luke Steele didn’t make many first-team appearances for City. (Credit:GEOFF CADDICK/AFP via Getty Images)

Luke Steele

It’s been quite the change for goalkeeper Luke Steele who now plays in the lower levels of non-league football, in a completely different position… striker!

The 37-year-old is playing for Deeping Rangers, who play in the ninth tier. Steele was used on a sparingly basis and usually played second fiddle to Frank Fielding.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He left the club after one season, becoming a back-up goalkeeper at Nottingham Forest and Millwall. Last year he played in the Spalding Sunday League, as well as Stamford in the Northern Premier League.

Hörður Björgvin Magnússon

Reliable right-back who came with some experience behind him in his native Iceland and then Italy.

Magnusson spent two seasons at Ashton Gate, signing for an undisclosed fee. In what was set to be his third year, he joined Russian Premier League outfit CSKA Moscow.

Aden Flint

Flint was a popular player amongst City fans given his five years of service to the club and played a big part in getting the club promoted from League One in 2015.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

After playing in this match, he played for a further season before joining Middlesbrough for a deal worth almost £7m.

He is one of a number of ex City players who have made the move across the Severn Bridge in recent years to join Severnside rivals Cardiff City. Flint is still donning the colours of one of City’s biggest rivals.

Nathan Baker

The only player in the team to still be at the club but only just. After joining the club on loan from Aston Villa, Baker played a majority of the Cup final season and did enough to persuade the club to sign him on a permanent basis.

He was kept on and joined on a four-year deal which ran out earlier this summer. Baker was initially set to depart but was offered a new deal which will now keep him at the club till 2023.

Bailey Wright

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Australian was quite reliable for City and his best season probably came in 2017/18 when he played 36 times, but on other occasions he’d reached either a half or a quarter of the season.

After Lee Johnson’s appointment as manager of the Black Cats in December 2020, Johnson returned to his former club to sign Wright on a season-long loan.

The left-back was later released by City and signed for the Wearside club in the summer.

Josh Brownhill later became captain of Bristol City. (Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)Josh Brownhill later became captain of Bristol City. (Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)
Josh Brownhill later became captain of Bristol City. (Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)

Josh Brownhill

Like Bailey Wright, midfielder Brownhill was signed from Championship rivals Preston North End.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He joined on a free transfer and gave three-and-a-half seasons to the club, playing a part in some of their biggest moments.

Most remembered for his stunning strike against Cardiff in the Derby which sealed a first win in the Welsh capital for 17 years.

He later was sold to Premier League side Burnley in January 2020 and has flourished at Turf Moor ever since.

Marlon Pack

After earning himself a deal at City following three years at Cheltenham, Pack was one of those bargain buys who ended up becoming vital to the League One success.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Pack was at the club for six years and helped the team to the league title, before playing four seasons in the Championship.

He would make over 250 appearances for the club and was made captain, highlighting his influence to the midfield.

In August 2019 though he was sold to Cardiff City, where he has remained.

Korey Smith

Another player who gave a lot of time to the club, six years to be precise. Signed from Lee Johnson’s old club Oldham Athletic, he knew what he was getting from him.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In his first season at the club, he won promotion to the second tier and then gave five seasons in the Championship.

He’s the man of the moment in this story as he scored the goal which defeated Man United and it is a memory that stands out in his career.

Despite his service, he left in August 2020 and joined Swansea City, where he has been a first-team regular.

Bristol-born Joe Byran took Fulham to the Premier League in 2020. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)Bristol-born Joe Byran took Fulham to the Premier League in 2020. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Bristol-born Joe Byran took Fulham to the Premier League in 2020. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Joe Byran

One of the most talented players to come through what has been a successful academy system, Byran spent almost a decade in Bristol.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The hometown hero who started as a left-midfielder and then a wing-back scored the first of the two goals against United, celebrating amongst his friends and family.

With a knack for goalscoring, he scored the goal which took the Cottagers to the Premier League, defeating Brentford in a behind-closed-doors play-off final at Wembley Stadium.

Unfortunately for him, they would only last one season in the top flight before being relegated again.

He’s still at Craven Cottage and is part of the team hoping for an immediate return.

Jamie Paterson

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A relatively reliable player when playing for City, Peterson joined the club from Nottingham Forest and gave five years of his career to the club.

He would score more than five goals in three of those campaigns and was a tricky winger down his flank.

Released this summer, he is now at Swansea City with Korey Smith and has excelled since his departure with eight goals and four assists this season.

Bobby Decordova-Reid

Another successful academy graduate, the decision to play Decordova-Reid as a striker proved a master stroke as a change in position saw him net 19 goals in the 2017/18 Championship season, earning a place in the Team of the Year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He’s still at Fulham with his fellow City academy graduate and long-term friend Joe Byran. Decordova-Reid is also a Jamaican international now.

Unfortunately the fans wouldn’t get to see him do much more as he was sold to Cardiff City who were in the Premier League at the time.

Substitutes

Matt Taylor

Signed from city rivals Bristol Rovers on Deadline Day in 2016, Taylor was the first player to directly move from one club to the other in 27 years.

Taylor set up Korey Smith for the winner but ultimately failed to make an impact and left. In total he made nine appearances in 75 appearances.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Later signed for Oxford United on a loan deal before being signed on a permanent basis.

Niclas Eliasson

Signed for a fee expected to be just under £2m, Eliasson was signed from Swedish outfit IFK Norrkoping.

It was one of a few signings from abroad as City cast their net open trying to find continental players who could potentially attract a larger fee.

Eliasson’s best season at the club was a return of three goals and six assists in the 2018/19 season.

He’s now playing in the French second tier for Nîmes.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.