Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has vowed that his side “will be back” after their fourth-round exit from this year’s Carabao Cup.
The holders were beaten 5-3 on penalties by West Ham United after an inspired Alphonse Areola kept them at bay.
Phil Foden and missed their penalties, which allowed Said Benrahma to score the winning spot kick and take David Moyes’ men into the next round.
The loss means that City’s five-year run without a defeat in the competition, as well as their streak of four Carabao Cups in a row, has come to an end.
“An incredible run has finished [but] we finished in a good way,” said the City boss.
“We played in a really good way, creating chances against a team who defended deep.
“On penalties, they were better. Congratulations to West Ham. Next year we will be back.”
City have dominated the competition under Pep Guardiola, beating Arsenal, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur on the way to each other four they have picked up under the Catalan coach.
Their last loss in the competition came in the 2016-17 season when they were narrowly beaten by rivals and eventual victors Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Citizens have been lauded for their squad depth throughout their period of dominance in the League Cup as the side have several great players at their disposal in each position.
Their period of dominance led to them joining Liverpool as the record holders of the League Cup with eight each.
Guardiola praised West Ham’s performance in the game and said that they brought out a good performance from his side in return.
“Not just this season, the previous one [too],” Guardiola said of West Ham’s progress under Moyes.
“One of the toughest games we played at home when one side was better than us last season was West Ham.
“They’re doing well in the Premier League and the Europa League and now they are in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
“Fantastic team, fantastic manager. We knew it. We did our game. I didn’t see the stats, but I thought we did a good game.
“Sometimes it happens. Next season we will be back.”
