Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, but will the result impact the Premier League title race?
The Gunners are currently nine points clear at the top of the league against Pep Guardiola’s side, but were soundly defeated in a high-profile clash at Wembley.
Guardiola won his fifth League Cup – the most by a manager – as Arsenal’s hopes of winning the quadruple title squeak.
The two teams will meet again live on Sky Sports on Sunday 19th April in what could be a pivotal match in the race for the Premier League title. Manchester City have a game in hand and will face Arsenal at home next month.
But will the final have any impact on that match, or where will the Premier League trophy end up in May? Pundits, coaches and players shared their opinions…
Expert: “Your complexion changes with the seasons”
Jamie Redknapp says the Carabao Cup final changed the face of this season’s title race.
“When Liverpool lost to Newcastle here last year, they had 12 points,” he told Sky Sports. “It was a big buffer, other teams didn’t have games.
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Carabao Cup final, Arsenal vs Manchester City highlights
“For Arsenal, the doubts and negativity change the whole face of the title race. I’m not saying this will completely restore Manchester City back up the table, but it does give them a big chance in the April games.”
Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright added that despite the nine-goal difference, the gap could close quickly, leading to a tense end to the season.
“We have nine points, but Manchester City have a game to play and we have to play it, so we could go down to three points,” he told Sky Sports.
“All of a sudden, the pressure is really high. Don’t get me wrong, these nine points are tough nine points.”
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Watch Manchester City lift the Carabao Cup at Wembley
“Arsenal really need to refocus and get back on track with what they want to do. They need to win games now.
“People say ‘oh, set-pieces’ when it comes to winning games, but it doesn’t matter, everyone knows that. We have the DNA of winning games with tenacity. They have to start doing this because they know this team (Manchester City) is not finished yet.”
“These are all things that Arsenal have to deal with. This is the problem. Arsenal are a club that has been trying to do that for over 20 years. We need to do it. It’s the fourth time we’ve tried.
“It’s tough. It’s not going to be easy. Let’s keep up with the players, because this is the time when they need us the most.”
Manager: “I want to make a 9 point difference!”
Josep Guardiola celebrates Manchester City’s victory in the Carabao Cup final
Despite winning the Carabao Cup again, Guardiola admitted he wanted to be in Arsenal’s position at the top of the Premier League.
Manchester City achieved the final victory after a difficult few games. They dropped points in last weekend’s league game against West Ham and came on the way to being eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid.
“To be honest, I’d like to be nine points behind,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s in their hands. For me personally, I need an incredible break. I’m exhausted. And then we’ll see it step by step.”
“It was a big blow for us to drop points against Nottingham (Forest) and West Ham. But we have one game coming up and they’re coming to our stadium with our staff and we’re going to try.”
Manager Arteta said he wants his players to use this defeat as motivation for the rest of the season as they aim to regain their first Premier League title since the 2003/04 season.
“I want the players to have some perspective,” he said. “What this team has accomplished in the last eight months is incredible. We’re going to use this disappointment and fire in our belly to have the best two months we’ve ever had together.”
“It’s up to us. We manage that energy the right way. Now we have to go through that pain and disappointment, it’s normal and part of football.”
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Redknapp and Ian Wright discuss whether Kepa Arrizabalaga should have started against Arsenal number one David Raya in the Carabao Cup final after Kepa’s mistake gave Manchester City the lead
Players: “Big boost towards title fight”
Antoine Semenyo and Nathan Ake believe victory in the Carabao Cup will boost Manchester City’s confidence going into the final few Premier League games of the season.
“I think this will give us a boost. It will give us confidence to catch up after the international break,” Semenyo, who won his first title with Manchester City after joining in January, told Sky Sports.
“I don’t want to say too much because momentum can change very quickly. We just need to do our job heading into that game and potentially get the job done.”
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Nico O’Reilly said he was “really excited” after scoring twice to win Manchester City’s Carabao Cup final, just hours after celebrating his 21st birthday.
Ake added: “This is very special. We didn’t win anything last season, but I think this is the perfect way to win against title contenders this season.”
“We’re expected to win. We expect that from ourselves. Last year was disappointing so we wanted to do well this year. If you’re here you want to win.”
“This is a big boost (for the title fight). After the international break we will be back and we will go again. We will give everything.”
