LONDON - Manchester City continued their imperious stranglehold over the League Cup with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in the final at Wembley on Sunday to win the trophy for a third straight season. City, who have now won the competition in five of the last seven seasons, dominated much of the match and should have been home and dry when they opened a 2-0 lead after 30 minutes with goals from Sergio Aguero and Rodri. Yet a bizarre slip from City defender John Stones allowed Villa’s Anwar El Ghazi to cross for Mbwana Samatta to head home just before halftime, fuelling their hopes of a comeback. The second half failed to live up to the first, however, with few clear chances until City keeper Claudio Bravo pulled off an excellent save to keep out Bjorn Engels’ header minutes from fulltime.