Manchester City 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 talking points as Cityzens make it four in a row | League Cup 2020-21
Manchester City edged Tottenham Hotspur by a goal to nil at a sparsely populated Wembley Stadium to collect their fourth consecutive League Cup trophy on Sunday. Pep Guardiola's men thoroughly dominated the North Londoners, but had to wait till the 82nd minute to take the lead. City were left frustrated courtesy of a resolute Spurs defense until Aymeric Laporte headed home the winner eight minutes from time.
Tottenham Hotspur's hunt for a major trophy continues, but now it's time to focus on the Premier League for Harry Kane and co., as a spot in Europe is far from confirmed. Manchester City, on the other hand, will shift their focus to a meaty Champions League semi-final tie against Paris St. Germain.
Here are the five talking points from the game.
#5 Riyad Mahrez puts on a show at Wembley
Riyad Mahrez's Manchester City career hasn't been smooth sailing by any means. After enduring an underwhelming first season, the Algerian improved in his second year, but struggled with consistency. However, the former PFA Player of the Year award winner is back to his very best this season, and he showed his mesmerizing quality in front of the season's first set of fans in a stadium.
Mahrez toyed with the Spurs defenders with relative ease, keeping Sergio Reguilon guessing all game. He cut in superbly on a number of occasions and would have found himself on the scoresheet if not for a fantastic save from Hugo Lloris.
#4 Harry Kane starved of service in surprise comeback
Harry Kane, for the longest time, was believed to be in a physical condition incapable of suiting up for today's cup final. However, the English talisman passed a late fitness test and was thrown straight into the starting line-up by interim coach Ryan Mason. Unfortunately, it wasn't a dream comeback for Kane as he had a largely forgettable evening.
Tottenham had only 37% of the ball, attempting only two shots, only one of which was on target. The singular shot on target, too, came off of Giovanni Lo Celso's boot, which speaks volumes about Kane's involvement in the game. The 27-year-old tried his best to set up his teammates, but was a bystander for large parts of the game. Negating his influence on the match was crucial to City picking up the trophy.
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