I heard someone earlier today talking about Spurs playing in the final last season, and I genuinely couldn't remember it happening! Dear me. Wiki reminds me MouMou was sacked right before it and Mason played Soton and then City and the match was pretty dire, we got pumped and Laporte nodded in a cross when Sissoko completely failed to challenge. Well well well, who would have thought that Moussa Sissoko was a liability? Toilet match. Strange how we beat them last week eh?
First half[edit]
Emirates Marketing Project kicked off the final at 16:30
BST. The first chance fell to Emirates Marketing Project when
Raheem Sterling wrongfooted
Serge Aurier and kept the ball in play and pulled it back for
Phil Foden at the near post, he took his shot but fired it just wide of the target in the 7th minute. In the 8th minute,
Riyad Mahrez came forward again down the right, he lifted a good cross in the middle for Sterling, he flicked the header on but couldn't keep it down though and it went just over the bar. In the 14th minute, it looked like a throw-in was heading straight out of play but Foden managed to keep it in, he pulled it back for Sterling in space in the middle, he turned before hitting a shot and
Eric Dier threw himself in front of it to make the block. In the 20th minute,
Zack Steffen punched a corner away, but Spurs managed to keep hold of it,
Harry Winks switched the play out to the left for
Son Heung-min, who nodded it down for
Toby Alderweireld on the edge of the box, he drilled a low shot to the near post but it was just wide of the target. In the 26th minute, Spurs sloppily gave the ball away again and Mahrez whipped in a great cross into Sterling at the far post, but it was cut out by Alderweireld, Foden latched onto the loose ball though and fired a shot on goal but
Hugo Lloris reflexively pushed it away at his near post. In the 27th minute,
Sergio Reguilón was shown the game's first yellow card for late foul on
Kevin De Bruyne. In the 30th minute a through ball from
Fernandinho took the Spurs defenders out as Sterling ran onto it; Lloris rushed of his line to close him down so Sterling went for the chip but he couldn't get his angles right and it went wide of the far post. In the 35th minute, Reguilón was with Mahrez as soon as the ball was played into the winger, but Mahrez managed to wrongfoot him and open up a little space for a shot, he whipped it across goal towards the far post and Lloris was beaten but it was just wide of the far post. In the 37th minute, City moved it brilliantly on the edge of the box where they played it between Sterling, Foden, De Bruyne, Fernandinho and finally out to Mahrez on the right. He cut inside before firing another shot on goal but this one went just over the crossbar. In the 41st minute, De Bruyne was given too much time on the ball and he took a few touches before curing a lovely cross towards Sterling at the far post, Dier left it and Sterling reached it on the stretch but he couldn't poke it towards goal. In the 45th minute,
Aymeric Laporte was
booked for bringing
Lucas Moura down. In the first minute of stoppage time, Mahrez wasn't closed down by Spurs again and he cut inside from the right and he had time to pick out a low cross to
João Cancelo on the edge of the box he curled his effort towards the near post and Lloris tipped it onto the woodwork in the last action of the first half.
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Second half[edit]
Spurs got the second half underway and immediately went on the attack. In the 47th minute, Moura squared a ball to
Giovani Lo Celso on the edge of the box and he took a touch before curling it towards the far bottom corner where Steffen pushed it away. In 55th minute, De Bruyne picked out Sterling with a low through ball into the left of the box this time and the forward cut inside before curling a shot towards the far post he sent it wide of the target and it was yet another good chance missed by Sterling. In the 67th minute,
Ryan Mason made a double substitution for Spurs with
Gareth Bale replacing Moura and
Moussa Sissoko replacing Lo Celso. In the 72nd minute, Sterling peeled off the back of Sissoko when
İlkay Gündoğan picked him out and Sterling took it to the by line in the box before pulling it back for Gündoğan he took the shot first time but dragged it wide of the near post. In the 74th minute, City went on the counter attack and Mahrez drove through midfield to get into space for a shot he hit his effort through the central defenders and Lloris got a strong hand to it to tip it away from goal. In the 82nd minute, Laporte scored the opener, a good free-kick from De Bruyne on the left and Laporte rose higher than Sissoko at the far post to reach it he flicked his header on and there was nothing Lloris could do to stop it nesting into the bottom left corner. In the 84th minute,
Pep Guardiola made his first substitution for City with
Rodri replacing Fernandinho. Also in the 84th minute, Mason made Spurs next substitution with
Dele Alli replacing
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. In the 87th minute, Guardiola made City's next substitution with
Bernando Silva replacing De Bruyne. In the 90th minute, Mason made another Spurs substitution with
Steven Bergwijn replacing Aurier. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Rodri chipped the ball over Sissoko to pick out Foden's run and the Spurs defenders stopped to ask for
offside Foden squared it to Mahrez in the middle of the box and he slotted it past Lloris before the flag belatedly went up against Foden in the last action of the second half and the game. City won 1–0 and sealed a fourth successive title.
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