There were 7,773 fans inside Wembley Stadium for this Carabao Cup final and, for most of it, there were 11 more spectators on the pitch. Tottenham Hotspur were utterly dominated by Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s side deservedly won this competition for a fourth season in a row.
he guttural roar of relief from the 2,000 City fans present as their team finally scored was a rush for those of us here. How we have missed that sound; that celebration; that joy. It is no consolation to Tottenham although quite how they stayed in this contest for so long had more to do with City’s wastefulness than their own resilience.
For Ryan Mason, in only his second game in charge following the sacking of Jose Mourinho, this was a first defeat as Spurs continue their long quest to win a trophy. Not since 2008 have they done so and they never came close on this occasion with just one threatening moment throughout as they grimly held on.
They gambled by playing Harry Kane, after his ankle injury, but as hard as he tried he could not make the difference in the way the returning Kevin de Bruyne did for City. How they only won 1-0 was remarkable even if Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was outstanding while Toby Alderweireld threw himself into blocks and tackles.
The only goal came late on with Aymeric Laporte easily beating substitute Moussa Sissoko to guide a close-range header just inside the near post from a De Bruyne free-kick out on the left after yet another foul on Raheem Sterling.
In the end it was as simple as that and although Spurs will argue that Laporte was fortunate not to earn two yellow cards – and not just one – for cynical first-half fouls the fact is the defender would not have made the second challenge had he been cautioned for the first.
It means the last time City lost in the League Cup was October 2016 – 20 ties ago – and although it may be the last competition in terms of their priorities that was not reflected in the celebrations. On several occasions Guardiola held up four fingers, reminding the world of his fourth win, and the players congregated on the corner of the pitch closest to their fans.
It was a communion as much as a celebration as they serenaded each other with Blue Moon and Oasis’s Wonderwall with the players happily taking it in turns to lift the trophy. The fans chanted ‘Sergio, Sergio’ and for some this may be their last glimpse of Aguero, who tellingly remained an unused substitute, in the flesh before his contract ends while De Bruyne gave a shy wave.
None of the 2,000 wanted to leave and who would blame them. They have waited a long time for this. We all have. No need for piped crowd noise. No artificiality. This was very real.
There were also almost 4,000 ‘locals’ present, including key workers, in what was an important test event as we try to get back to normal life. By winning a trophy City will believe it is already normal service resumed for them with the Premier League title to follow and a Champions League semi-final in midweek. Guardiola has 30 trophies and may end the campaign with 32.
“We’re not really here,” sang the City fans but Spurs may just as well have not been there for the first half. Such was City’s confidence that Guardiola lined them up in a ‘4-1-attack’ formation with five players almost interchanging in the forward positions and both De Bruyne and Phil Foden playing as ‘false nines’ although – in truth – an orthodox striker may have been more worthwhile. They missed chance after chance.
It begged the question: for all of the brilliance of their football what if they had a predatory centre-forward? What if Kane was in their colours rather than relegated to a near bystander?
There were no fewer than seven clear chances in the first-half alone and although the second period opened more evenly it soon developed into the same pattern.
So to recap the first 45 minutes: Foden side-footed past the post from close-range as he met Sterling’s cut-back; Sterling then headed wide before Eric Dier threw himself to block the winger’s goal-bound shot.
De Bruyne then harried Dier into losing possession as he passed straight to the impressive Riyad Mahrez. It was fed back to the Belgian whose cross was blocked although even after that it fell to Foden whose shot was superbly diverted by Alderweireld against the post and away for a corner.
Sterling then ran onto Fernandinho’s pass and lifted the ball over Lloris but also beyond the far post and soon after sent another effort just over the angle of post and cross-bar. Mahrez killed a long ball pinged into his feet, shifted it to his left and struck a shot that fizzed across Lloris and, once more, just beyond the post. De Bruyne picked out Sterling, flighting a pass over Dier’s head, but he could not get the touch to steer the ball home.
It was wave after wave after wave. Spurs could barely get out of their penalty area never mind their half.
On 19 minutes they won a corner and their fans erupted in pleading encouragement as they tried to drive their under-pressure team on.
Their plight was summed up as Sergio Reguilon delayed and delayed as he desperately looked for a pass to make – only to allow the ball to run out of play.
On half-time Joao Cancelo had time and space to pick his spot and did just that from the area’s edge with Lloris clawing it away. Spurs had offered nothing. Absolutely nothing. And then something weird happened. They almost scored. They worked the ball to Giovani Lo Celso whose right-foot, curling shot was dipping inside the far post only for goalkeeper Zack Steffen to dive low to his right and turn it away.
That act of defiance provoked an inevitable reaction. The chances racked up again. The onslaught resumed. Mahrez, Sterling, Ilkay Gundogan, Fernandinho. Gundogan again. Mahrez again – albeit thwarted by Lloris with another excellent save. Sterling again. It was getting crazy.
Would City pay the price? It never looked likely. Kane ran from his own half to tee up Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg inside the City area. He made a complete hash of it. That summed up dismal Spurs as did, after working so hard, being undone by a simple header from a set-piece.
Long after the final whistle with the fans having departed Dier stood on his own by the side of the pitch, staring at the goal in which City had scored. Once more he was a spectator.
© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2021