Manchester City 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 hits and flops as Aymeric Laporte seals City's 4th consecutive title | Carabao Cup 2020-21
Manchester City sealed their fourth consecutive Carabao Cup title after beating Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in a tense final in Wembley.
Aymeric Laporte scored in the 81st minute from a free-kick as Spurs' resistance was finally broken. Until then, Manchester City were kept at bay with some resolute defending from the North Londoners, coupled with the heroics of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
The Lilywhites, who spent the entirety of the opening stanza in their own half, improved after the break, showing some attacking intent. But that didn't last long, as Manchester City reasserted their control and found the winner with just eight minutes to go for extra time.
It was heartbreak for Spurs once again, as they lost in yet another cup final, while City lifted their fourth League Cup title in a row and sixth in the last eight seasons.
On that note, let's have a look at five hits and flops from either team in the match:
Hit: Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City)
He hasn't scored many goals for Manchester City, certainly not this season, but Aymeric Laporte couldn't have chosen a more opportune moment to get on the scoresheet.
The Frenchman, who had a good outing, rose highest to meet Kevin De Bruyne's free-kick, nodding home from just five yards out as Spurs were caught out.
Given how the game had transpired by then, it looked likely that Manchester City would have to find ways other than open play to find the winner. Laporte, of all players, gave them exactly that.
Flop: Serge Aurier (Tottenham Hotspur)
Serge Aurier was guilty of conceding the free-kick which Manchester City scored from, and on the looks of it, that was completely avoidable.
The Ivorian tried to hook the ball away from Sterling but instead hacked him down near the byline, leaving the referee with no option but to award Manchester City a free-kick.
It was a mistake unbecoming of a 28-year-old professional playing the game for almost a decade.