The League Cup final was arranged before 8,000 spectators and the City fans were delighted to see their club win the competition once again this year.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City won the League Cup four times in succession as Aymeric Laporte’s header in the closing minutes marked the Cityzen’s deserving victory over a hard-working Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on Saturday.
The Manchester club were tagged favourites for the final, but Guardiola and his men had to toil till the 81st minute for a fruitful result. Laporte was already walking on thin ice with a yellow card earlier in the game for two cynical fouls on Lucas Moura; but rose to the occasion, nodding De Bruyne’s curler past Hugo Lloris. Riyad Mahrez was outstanding once again, with Raheem Sterling on the other wing dominating the Spurs full-backs with his tireless runs. Toby Alderweireld rescued his side twice, blocking an effort from Raheem Sterling and a close-range Phil Foden shot, which went on to hit the upright.
Although they had to give up the dreams of a historic quadruple after being eliminated by Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final, City secured their first trophy of the season. Guardiola might have staged a practice for Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final against Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint Germain.
Winning the trophy for the fourth time in a row, also means that the Cityzens have matched Liverpool’s record for most consecutive cup triumphs in the 1980s, and Guardiola himself has become the joint-most successful manager in the tournament’s history.
“It’s good. I was in big clubs: Barcelona, Bayern Munich, here. That’s why it’s easier to do. Today we are incredibly happy that we have four in a row in this competition. We tried to win the game, created a lot of chances. They had some chances on the counter but in general we had a good game.”
Guardiola told in the post-match press conference.
But of course, City are on the cusp of bringing home the Premier League title this season and the cup glory could just set the tune for further success in the final days of the campaign.
The challengers Tottenham were already in crisis before the final, with their involvement in the scandalous European Super League, ruining the club’s image among a hostile group of fans, added with the bombshell of Mourinho’s surprising dismissal last Monday.
Some supporters, though, were ecstatic about their gaffer’s departure as they often criticised and loathed the Portuguese for his parking-the-bus method. Heading onto the final, these fans were hopeful for a game full of attacking football, but caretaker manager Ryan Mason failed to get out of their own half on numerous occasions in the entire match.
“It was a difficult match. I thought in the first half we rode our luck on a couple of occasions. There were times where it was controlled. In the second half we had a good moment and some set plays and I felt while we didn’t create much in the second half, neither did they. It’s difficult to concede from a set piece though.”
Mason said after the game.
Harry Kane, who sustained an ankle injury in Spurs 2-2 draw at Everton, appeared unfit throughout the game. The English international was evidently tired of missing his quick runs down the middle and even stayed down on a couple of occasions after being challenged.
Still, Kane wasn’t the only player with minimal impact for the Lilywhites in the final, as most of his teammates looked unsettled under a new manager. That being said, it has to be mentioned that Tottenham arrived at Wembley with a 29-year-old rookie coach, replacing a manager boasting a track record of success in the cup finals.
