Manchester City won their fourth successive League Cup with a convincing victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. With 8,000 fans in attendance, City defender Aymeric Laporte scored the only goal of the game in the 82nd minute against a disappointing Spurs side in the Carabao Cup final.
Pep Guardiola’s side controlled the first half with the vast majority of possession and chances. The best came from Phil Foden, whose close-range shot was impressively blocked by Toby Alderweireld.
Spurs, who have failed to win a major trophy since 2008, improved slightly in the second half with Giovanni Lo Selso producing their only shot on target, forcing a strong save from City keeper Zack Steffen. Their defensive solidarity overcame efforts from the likes of Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez – who had numerous attempts thwarted by Hugo Lloris.
It was, however, Manchester City’s relentless pressure that eventually undid Spurs’ defence. A late free kick from Kevin De Bruyne perfectly nestled on the head of Laporte, who was arguably fortunate to still be on the pitch having committed two fouls in the first half resulting in just one yellow card.
Spurs brought on Dele Alli and Steven Bergwijn for a late attacking threat, however neither substitutes were able to produce any chances as City comfortably cruised to victory in the Carabao Cup.
That’s So Spur-sy
Tottenham’s trophy drought extends 13 years, with the North London club now having lost their last four major cup finals. For Spurs, controversy preceded the game with a huge backlash over their involvement with the proposed European Super League and the sacking of manager Jose Mourinho – just six days before the cup final. Academy coach and former player, Ryan Mason, was given the caretaker reigns, the final being his second game in charge.
As mentioned, Spurs mustered just one shot on target from two efforts during the 90 minutes and held just 38% of ball possession. Despite the added boost of Harry Kane passing late fitness tests to start, the England captain failed to settle into the game and didn’t manage a single shot on goal.
Perfect Pep
With this win, Manchester City has now secured their eighth League Cup title, the joint-most alongside Liverpool. Pep Guardiola has been a manager for half of those City victories and his tally of four in the competition puts him level with legendary coaches Brian Clough, Alex Ferguson and the recently departed Spurs manager Jose Mourinho.
Following defeat by Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final, City’s quadruple hopes are over. They are, however, in pole position to take the Premier League crown and they next face a Champions League semi-final clash with Paris Saint Germain on Wednesday.
TWM’s Man of the Match – Riyad Mahrez