Magic moments help City sink Sunderland in League Cup final

Manchester City's Jesus Navas (obscured) celebrates with team mates Yaya Toure (R) and Samir Nasri (L) after scoring goal against Sunderland during their English League Cup final soccer match at Wembley Stadium in London, March 2, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

"Bang Bang"

"I'm sad, I hate it, but I'm proud of them," the Uruguayan said. "We were more than decent for 45 minutes - then bang, bang. From the football side we couldn't do better but in the end the quality decided the game."

Sunderland spent the opening minutes deep inside their own half as City zipped the ball around on the lush Wembley turf but, after knocking out Chelsea and Manchester United to reach the showpiece, they soon showed some attacking intent.

City were jittery at the back and, after Sunderland had a goal rightly flagged offside, they fell behind after an uncharacteristic mistake by skipper Vincent Kompany.

He was caught in two minds as Borini closed him down and instead of booting the ball clear he was dispossessed and Borini raced into the box to thump a shot with the outside of his right boot past Costel Pantilimon.

City dominated possession for the rest of the half without ever carving open a Sunderland rearguard well-marshalled by former Manchester United stalwarts Wes Brown and John O'Shea.

Sunderland keeper Vito Mannone was never seriously tested and it was Sunderland who could have doubled their lead when Borini ran through on goal from a suspiciously offside position.

This time Kompany rescued his side with a timely intervention just as the Italian cocked his leg to shoot.

A city onslaught was expected at the start of the second half but again, it was Poyet's Sunderland who impressed.

Ki Sung-yueng, part of the Swansea City side that lifted the trophy last season, let fly from 30 metres, forcing Pantilimon to tip his dipping strike over the crossbar.

Then the wheels fell off Sunderland's bandwagon.

One nonchalant swing of Toure's right leg sent a curling 30 metre shot beyond the fingertips of Mannone after 55 minutes and two minutes later Nasri met Aleksandar Kolarov's half-cleared cross with an unstoppable shot.

It was cruel on Sunderland but they refused to capitulate and once their heads had cleared from the shock of two lightning bolts they began to pose some serious questions of a City defence that still looked vulnerable.

With Sunderland throwing men forward substitute Steven Fletcher hit a shot straight at Pantilimon and they battled gamely until the end to no avail.

Substitute Navas made absolutely sure there was no way back for Sunderland with a clinical third on the stroke of full time.