City win their fourth League Cup in a row

MANCHESTER City secured a record-equalling fourth successive League Cup triumph as Aymeric Laporte’s late header sealed a deserved 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur last night.

Spurs had soaked up intense City pressure for most of the game to somehow stay in contention at Wembley Stadium.

But City finally made the breakthrough in the 82nd minute from an unlikely source, as defender Laporte met Kevin de Bruyne’s free-kick and headed past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

A combination of Lloris, last-ditch defending and some poor City finishing had kept the 8 000 crowd on tenterhooks, but in the end, Pep Guardiola’s side got their reward.

They have now matched Liverpool’s feat of winning the competition for four seasons in a row, and also join Liverpool with the most League Cup wins on eight.

Tottenham are still waiting for their first trophy since 2008.

How the final reached half-time still at 0-0 was mystifying, with Phil Foden denied by the woodwork and Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez both going close, while Joao Cancelo forced a great save from Lloris on the stroke of half-time.

To their credit, Spurs responded in the second half, and Giovani Lo Celso almost gave them the lead when his curling effort was turned around the post by keeper Zack Steffen.

The zip went out of City’s attacks slightly, but Frenchman Lloris was still by far the busier of the two keepers, producing saves to deny Mahrez and skipper Fernandinho.

It was Laporte who settled it in City’s favour, though, as he found space to head De Bruyne’s perfect delivery into the net.