Manchester City has won the EFL Cup for the fourth time in a row and eighth time in club history. Were at Wembley the Citizens 1-0 too strong for Tottenham Hotspur, where Steven Bergwijn came in as a substitute. Despite the fact that manager Pep Guardiola’s team dominated the game to a large extent, the ban was only broken in the final phase. Aymeric Laporte finally gave Manchester City its first prize of the 2020/21 season after 82 minutes of play.
Under the watchful eye of eight thousand fans, Tottenham was able to add another prize to the honors list for the first time since 2008 (at the time also the EFL Cup), although the defending champion had to be settled. In fact, Manchester City won the previous three editions of the English cup tournament and made the most claim to the opening goal in the first half. After Phil Foden delivered the first pinprick with a shot over the goal, with nine minutes left, Raheem Sterling’s first real chance was. The attacker only just headed over.
There is the liberating 1-0! ?
City has been knocking at Lloris’ door the entire match and in the end it is defender Laporte who heads in after a free kick from De Bruyne ??
City seems to be winning the 4th League Cup in a row! ????#ZiggoSport #LeagueCupFinal #MCITOT pic.twitter.com/TA9rufyojb
– Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) April 25, 2021
Manchester City gradually increased the pressure further during the first half and were again very close to the opening goal after 26 minutes, when Foden hit the post on a pass from De Bruyne. A double shot for Riyad Mahrez and a goal by João Cancelo turned by Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris also did not result in a goal for the Citizens, as a result of which Tottenham managed to get the rest without damage.
Immediately after the break, Tottenham showed themselves for the first time, when a shot by Giovani Lo Celso was turned by Zack Steffen. The American goalkeeper will replace Ederson in the FA Cup and EFL Cup this season, normally the first choice under Guardiola’s bar. Tottenham showed itself more in the second half, for example when Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg turned up in the penalty area. Still, the best opportunities remained for Manchester City in the second half, including Fernandinho and Mahrez.
The fact that Tottenham Hotspur is next to the Carabao Cup (????) hurts Heung Min Son a lot …
Posted by football zone on Sunday, April 25, 2021
It took until the 82nd minute before the spell was broken. A corner by De Bruyne was headed against the ropes by Laporte, who left Lloris without a chance by placing the ball in the far corner. Tottenham therefore had to look for the equalizer in the final phase, leaving room for Manchester City. De Bruyne, among others, had opportunities to further increase the score, but it ultimately remained 1-0 in London. Partly because a goal by Mahrez was rejected due to offside. For example, Manchester City has won the first main prize of the season. The Citizens take the lead in the Premier League and face Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final of the Champions League next week.