Sterling fires Man City’s Carabao Cup shootout winner after Chelsea keeper Kepa REFUSES to be substituted
Amazing finale as Kepa angrily waves away Maurizio Sarri's bid to replace him with penalty-saving expert Willy Caballero
RAHEEM STERLING scored the winning penalty - as Kepa Arrizabalaga turned into the villain of the day.
The England ace kept his nerve to lash home past the Chelsea keeper - who moments earlier had defied his manager to stay on the pitch.
After twice going down for lengthy treatment in the second period, Maurizio Sarri attempted to sub his expensive keeper with Willy Caballero in stoppage time.
Amazingly, the Spaniard refused to come off amid incredible scenes - meaning the former City man had to sit back down again.
Sarri was raging on the touchline and at one stage stormed down the tunnel - only to re-emerge seconds later.
After the whistle, Antonio Rudiger appeared to be holding back his manager - who wanted to speak to his first choice goalkeeper.
To cap it all, he then just saved one penalty in the shoot-out - from Leroy Sane - and should have stopped another from Sergio Aguero - but City scored all the rest.
Meanwhile Jorginho saw his kick saved while David Luiz hit the post - as an uneventful final finished in incredible fashion.
Having conceded four in the opening half an hour at the Etihad two weeks ago, it was no surprise to see Chelsea set up defensively.
It worked in keeping City's chances to a premium with a volley over from Sergio Aguero as close as they came.
A rare Chelsea attack saw Eden Hazard got the wrong side of Aymeric Laporte and then beat him and Nico Otamendi but was eventually crowded out.
Then on the stroke of half-time,Willian's free-kick was swung over and Fernandinho gets in the way of Otamendi, forcing the Argentine defender headed wide of his own goal.
Hazard raced clear of the City defence after the break but unusually for him he was indecisive and that allowed Otamendi to clear.
A big moment came 10 minutes into the second half when Aguero turned in and converted a shot by Fernandinho - but the celebrations were cut short by a linesman's flag.
A VAR check proved Jon Moss and his officials had got it right by the narrowest of margins.
Chelsea were growing into the game and Hazard got away down the left and squared for Ngolo Kante whose effort was inches too high.
Then Willian found space on the same side and pulled back for Ross Barkley - who curled his shot just over the angle.
Pedro wasted a golden chance when he took a pass from Hazard and chose to try to return it to him rather than going for goal - and Aleks Zinchenko got in the way.
WIth such a busy schedule ahead of him, the last thing Pep Guardiola wanted was for the game to go to extra time.
And a tough afternoon took another turn when key midfielder Fernandinho was forced off holding his groin just after 90 minutes.
There was little in the way of goal action at either end in the first period of extra time - apart from a curling Jorginho effort which dropped just wide.
Sarri clearly wanted Caballero on at the end, no doubt aware that he was the penalty hero for City here in the 2016 League Cup final.
But Arizabalaga was not for coming off and in the end it proved to be the wrong call as City won this competition for the fourth time in six years.
