Pep Guardiola watched his Manchester City side beat rivals Manchester United in the Carabao Cup semi-final and immediately dedicated the victory to club legend Colin Bell, who passed away on Tuesday.
The 2-0 win, courtesy of goals from John Stones and Fernandinho, will see City face Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley in April after they beat Brentford a day earlier.
While Guardiola acknowledged the League Cup is far from the most important trophy in club football, the manager’s relentless pursuit of success left him delighted at his team’s consistency and desire and said trophies can help the current crop become as revered in future as the likes of Bell have become at the Etihad Club.
“It’s for him, his family. This person helped to build something special for this club. The legacy these players make, and some of these [current players] will in the future, makes the club we have,” he told Sky Sports.
"This was an outstanding performance. We suffered a little in the second half because of the game at Stamford Bridge and they had two more days off, but we achieved something incredible.
“I know it’s not the Champions League but four times in a row [to the League Cup final], I’m really impressed with this team.”
City look revitalised in the past week or so, hammering Chelsea in emphatic fashion in the Premier League before this notable win in midweek.
Guardiola says it’s not a surprise that they are now finding their feet after a slow start, because of the fractured nature of the resumption of football for 2020/21, where City’s campaign began immediately with competitive action. The boss is not, however, looking ahead to the final just yet - as City have a hugely busy period coming up before April’s game at Wembley.
"This is about the consistency. In the begining we didnt make pre-season, we played the first official game without friendlies, so we needed time.
“The final is not next week so we’ll see. I only expect to arrive at the final in the best condition possible. Tottenham are a top team but we have time to think about it.”
