Everton's dreams of reaching a first League Cup final since 1984 were ended by Manchester City after the Toffees threw away a first-leg lead.
Roberto Martinez's side took a slender advantage into the second-leg at the Etihad Stadium and it was an advantage that was extended when Ross Barkley opened the scoring for Everton, but goals from Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero ended Everton's Wembley dreams.
Everton absorb pressure, before Barkley increases Blues advantage
Despite holding the edge coming into the second-leg at the Etihad Stadium, Martinez's side could not be accused of sitting back on the first-leg lead.
The game started very similar to the way the first-leg began, with Manchester City on top and dominating possession, but Everton stayed resolute in defence and looked dangerous on the break.
It was the team from Merseyside that scored the opening goal too, with Barkley showing why he has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park by scoring a fine solo goal.
Ramiro Funes Mori won possession deep in his own half, but from there Everton still had a long way to go to score. Barkley collected the ball close to the halfway line, he shrugged off a challenge from Nicolas Otamendi, burst into space before drilling his effort into the bottom corner past Willy Caballero from 20 yards.
City strike back almost immediately
Things were level just six minutes later though as Fernandinho reduced Everton's advantage to just one in the tie with a deflected effort.
Aguero's initial shot was blocked by Phil Jagielka and the ball fell to the City midfielder, whose first-time strike took a big deflection off Leighton Baines and flew over the helpless Joel Robles.
Aguero caused Everton's defence all sorts of problems with his movement, particularly in the first-half, and the Argentine came within inches of giving his side the lead on the night and levelling things up on aggregate. The City striker hit the post with a strike from 20-yards, before Joel saved brilliantly from David Silva's follow-up.
City's equaliser meant that the game was tightly balanced at half-time, but the cheers from around 10,000 Everton supporters as their team went off at half-time suggested they were happy enough with their slender advantage.
City's second-half pressure rewarded as substitutes make an impact
Everton should have extended their lead in the tie shortly after half-time, but Caballero produced a good save to deny Gerard Deulofeu's effort from a tight angle. Manchester City would go onto punish the Blues.
First though, the woodwork came to Everton's rescue again in the 54th minute after Silva's header from Pablo Zabeleta's cross hit the foot of the post and bounced through a crowd of players. Raheem Sterling then flashed a low cross across the goalmouth and Aguero came close to turning the ball in, before Sterling saw his rebound effort blocked by John Stones.
Manchester City continued to pile on the pressure and, just as Everton looked to have weathered the storm, their pressure was rewarded in the 70th minute when De Bruyne coolly finished. However, the Toffees will feel aggrieved after the ball went out of play in in the build-up to the goal.
Aguero then put City into the ascendency for the first-time in the tie. De Bruyne turned creator and his ball from the right was superbly headed past Robles by the Argentine.
The striker then had an opportunity to wrap up the win for City and a passage into the final, but he put his header wide from a corner while unmarked.
Everton piled on the pressure in the closing minutes, but the Toffees could not find an equaliser that would have seen extra-time played, seeing their dreams of playing in a League Cup final for the first time since 1984 shattered.
