KEY POINTS

  • Pep Guardiola led Manchester City to its fourth EFL Cup title
  • Guardiola lauds Tottenham's Serge Aurier and Hugo Lloris
  • The Manchester City boss is looking forward to winning the most important title of the season

Pep Guardiola knew Manchester City won a tough match against Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup.

On Sunday, Manchester City copped its fourth EFL Cup title in a hard-fought 90-minute clash at the Wembley Stadium.

The Spurs were able to slow down the Citizens almost the entire game, and it took 82 minutes before a header from Aymeric Laporte managed to hit the back of the net.

Speaking to Manchester City’s official website after the game, Guardiola acknowledged the “incredible” defense of Tottenham courtesy of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and defender Serge Aurier.

“Amazing [performance],” Guardiola said of Tottenham. “[Serge] Aurier is a fast defender and they are incredibly good at defending the shot and the blocks. [Hugo] Lloris made some incredible saves [too].”

Tottenham’s newly-appointed manager Ryan Mason, on the other hand, admitted that though there were moments in the game where they thought things could still be handled, it was really “difficult” to win against Manchester City.

“It was a difficult match,” Mason said in his post-match press conference. “I thought in the first half we rode our luck on a couple of occasions. There were times where it was controlled.”

“In the second half we had a good moment and some set plays and I felt while we didn’t create much in the second half, neither did they,” he added. “It’s difficult to concede from a set-piece though.”

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was at fault for Leipzig's opening two goals
Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was at fault for Leipzig's opening two goals AFP / Odd ANDERSEN

Apart from the EFL Cup, Manchester City is also poised to reclaim the English Premier League title this season. For Guardiola, it is the accolade he is “most proud” of.

However, the renowned manager stressed that the UEFA Champions League is the “most important title” Manchester City could win this year.

“Now, we rest and prepare for the [Champions League semi-final] first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, then after that, we are two games away from trying to win the most important title of the season,” the Spaniard stated.

“The Premier League is the nicest one, the one where I am most proud when we are able to do it,” he continued. “We are 10 points clear, we need two victories, and in between the games in this crazy schedule we are going to try to win the next one against Crystal Palace.”

On Wednesday, Manchester City will fly to Paris to take on Ligue 1's Paris Saint-Germain in this year’s UEFA Champions League semi-final at the Parc des Princes stadium.

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