London (dpa) - The English football champion Manchester City has secured the first trophy of the season and has already won the English League Cup for the third time in a row.
The team of coach Pep Guardiola won 2-1 (2-1) against Aston Villa in the final. For Manchester City, it was the seventh triumph in the competition, also known as the EFL Cup.
Sergio Agüero (20th minute) and Rodrigo (30th) met in London's Wembley Stadium for the defending champion, who currently occupies second place in the Premier League. Rodrigo's goal fell after a corner, which shouldn't have happened because city pro Ilkay Gündogan had touched the ball last.
Manchester coach Guardiola initially left Kevin De Bruyne on the bench in Wembley. The midfielder came into play for Gündogan after just under an hour. Mbwana Samatta (41) scored the connecting goal for the relegation-prone Aston Villa, which is second to last in the league. A few minutes before the end, Villa professional Björn Engels headed the ball onto the crossbar.
In contrast to the FA Cup in England, the league cup is considered rather insignificant. Man City won the competition for the first time in 1970. With the seventh success, the Citizens overtook local rival Manchester United, who had six successes in the League Cup. The record holder is Liverpool FC, who has triumphed eight times so far and failed this season with a selection of youngsters at Aston Villa.
Match report at BBC Sport