Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted that his side's success in the EFL Cup will provide further momentum as they go in search of an unprecedented quadruple this season.
City beat Chelsea 4-3 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes at Wembley this afternoon, with Raheem Sterling hitting the winning spot kick to see Guardiola's side retain the trophy.
The match was much less one-sided than City's 6-0 win in the same fixture just two weeks ago, but still saw the English champions remain on course to win every competition they take part in this season - including the Community Shield in August.
When asked in his post-match press conference whether winning a trophy helps to build momentum, Guardiola told reporters: "Yes of course. This is the only country that in February you can win a title. We already have two titles - the Community Shield is one - and so that is nice. We still have three more to play - the Premier League, the [FA] Cup and the [Champions League].
"We now see how the players are, how tired they will be for Wednesday. I think [it's good] for the mood - we have two titles in our basket already and we did so well in the Community Shield and today. That is the reality of games between Chelsea and Man City. What happened two weeks ago isn't normal - we knew it because they have pride, and I knew that they would react.
"They didn't press too high like we expected. They stayed in the middle, but the game was fine. It was difficult for both teams and it was a similar game to Stamford Bridge, when we lost. It was a tight game - I was impressed with Chelsea and the way they defended. They are one of the toughest teams I ever faced in my career to attack them. [N'Golo] Kante and Jorginho in particular, how they were able to press here and then move lateral, press here and then more lateral was incredible.
"I think 60-65 minutes we played very well, the last 15-20 minutes we suffered because our legs were tired after the injury situations. Penalties is penalties - we won as we could lose. Winning the game is important for the next games, but this competition is demanding a lot so we're going to suffer now for the cup, the league and the Champions League, but of course we won the title and that will help us going forward."
Man City's joy was somewhat hampered by injuries to Aymeric Laporte and Fernandinho, both of whom were forced off at Wembley.
Barney Corkhill
