Manchester City captured the EFL Cup for the third consecutive season on Sunday by beating heavy underdog Aston Villa 2-1 at Wembley Stadium. It was a game that was much closer than most anticipated, and it took a fantastic late save from Claudio Bravo on a corner kick to cement the victory for Pep Guardiola's team. City became the second team in the history of the League Cup to win three in a row, joining Liverpool (1981-84).
City took a 2-0 lead after just 30 minutes thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero and Rodri which set the tone for the rest of the match. They were unlucky to not have scored more. A goal from Villa's Mbwana Samatta in the 41st minute resulted in a second half where Villa went forward looking for the equalizer with City creating numerous chances on the counter.
City had a couple of fine chances in the final minute but key saves by Aston Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland kept it close before the final wild moment. Villa won a corner that the team managed to head on frame but Bravo pushed it to his right and off the post, leaving the Villa players holding their heads in disbelief.
A crowd of 82,149 spectators at Wembley saw City outshoot Villa 22-5 and record 70 percent possession in a game that wasn't as close as the score would indicate.
For the winners, it's the team's first trophy of the season with the team also looking like a contender in the Champions League and the FA Cup. For Villa, it's progress. The team has made two cup finals in the last six seasons and managed to keep this one close after losing to City twice in the Premier League this season by a combined score of 9-1.
Villa is currently in 19th place in the Premier League with its top remaining objective being to avoid relegation. City is in second in the Premier League and just won at Real Madrid last Wednesday in the Champions League round of 16 first leg.
