Manchester City defeated Arsenal 2-0 thanks to a double from Nico O’Reilly, ending their hopes of winning the Quadruple and winning the Carabao Cup.
The full-back’s goals, both headed in the space of four minutes, stunned Arsenal and set a record for Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola’s fifth League Cup win.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was selected ahead of Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper David Raya, was responsible for the opening goal after Rayan Cherki’s cross from the right wing skimmed his hands and allowed O’Reilly to score at the far post.
Arsenal reached their first cup final since winning the FA Cup in 2020, but O’Reilly added to City’s celebrations by heading home a cross from Matheus Nunez.
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Watch Manchester City lift the Carabao Cup trophy at Wembley
Arsenal tried to fight back with substitutes Riccardo Calafioli and Gabriel Jesus scoring twice, but Manchester City showed more experience in the closing stages as they saw their opponents’ quadruple hopes dashed.
The afternoon started positively for Arsenal. James Trafford, who had a contrasting afternoon with goals, made an early triple save by denying Kai Havertz and denying Bukayo Saka’s two attempts.
But after an even first half, Guardiola’s men took control in the second period and kept Arsenal in their own half before mounting pressure for a dizzying four minutes that could have an impact on the Premier League title race.
The Gunners are nine points behind their rivals at the top, but Manchester City have a game in hand, with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium to be broadcast live on Sky Sports on April 19.
City reached the final having been eliminated in the Champions League by Real Madrid, but Guardiola was delighted with the result, sprinting down the touchline in celebration after scoring his second goal before lifting the 18th trophy of his tenure.
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Pep Guardiola was unimpressed by Rayan Cherki’s flashy display and Ben White’s foul after Manchester City’s 2-0 win against Arsenal
Arteta: “It felt right to start Kepa”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said this at a press conference.
“It’s so sad. It’s hard to accept. We know how much it meant and how much we wanted it.
“The fact that we weren’t able to achieve that is disappointing and leaves a bad taste.”
On the decision to start Kepa, he added: “I have to do what I think is right, which is honest and fair.
“Kepa is an outstanding keeper and it would be very unfair for him to do anything different.
“You can never promise a player to play in a particular competition. They have to earn it and perform well.
“We are guided by what we see. We believe it was the right thing to do given what he has done in the competition and how he helped us get to the final.”
“Errors are part of football and unfortunately it happened at a crucial moment.”
Redknapp: Kepa’s decision backfired badly
“People will say it’s a matter of emotion and he played in the early rounds, but Kepa is not as good as Raya, so he’s number two,” Jamie Redknapp said on Sky Sports.
“Then why did you decide to play him in the final of a major cup, when you haven’t won a trophy for a long time and you’re about to cross the line? You have to take responsibility for that. It’s a big mistake.”
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Jamie Redknapp and Ian Wright discuss whether Kepa Arrizabalaga should have started in the Carabao Cup final
“He’s not a bad goalkeeper, but he’s not as good as Raya, and that backfired a lot.
“You could say Trafford wasn’t number one either, but he made three really good saves and barely had to touch the ball after that. It was easy for him.”
“I wasn’t being smart after the event, I said that before the game.”
Arsenal’s performance raises questions
Sky Sports’ Nick Wright said this from Wembley Stadium.
The expressions on the faces of the Arsenal players as they trudged up the steps at Wembley to receive their runners-up medals spoke volumes. An afternoon with much promise for Mikel Arteta’s side ended in a depressingly familiar disappointment.
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last six meetings with Josep Guardiola’s side. They are on track to win the Premier League with a nine-point difference at the top of the table. But they have become painfully accustomed to seeing Manchester City celebrate at their expense.
In this case, they are unlikely to be dissatisfied. The first half was pretty even, but there were still signs that Manchester City were starting to assert themselves. After the interval, Arsenal were on the back foot and looked inferior in every department.
Declan Rice shows disappointment during match at Wembley
There were several close games in the closing stages, but the result is never in doubt for Manchester City, who, on the evidence of what happened at Wembley, have the mental advantage over the Gunners, which could have an impact on the title race.
Arteta later dismissed that idea, putting the defeat down to damage sustained in the second half 20 minutes. But the manner of that defeat raised questions beyond the obvious question of Arteta’s choice of goalkeeper.
Do you still have mental problems even in important situations? Why did they look helpless to prevent Manchester City from taking the game away after the break? And how will they prevent this loss from hurting their season?
Pep: Lifting the trophy after a tough few weeks is special
Man City manager Josep Guardiola told Sky Sports: “What can I say? It’s always important to win trophies.
“But we had a tough two weeks and this one was special, especially because of our opponent.
“For the first 15 minutes they were suffocating me and I couldn’t breathe.
“Then, especially Jeremy (Doc) and Rayan (Cherki) started playing.
“I’m really happy, but Mikel has built a team that is almost unbeatable.
“If we start winning and the players are young, we can continue to do that. We need to know them first. We need to know how they react in certain situations.”
“I think we can learn from this as a team and hopefully do better next season.”
O’Reilly: It’s an incredible feeling to win the final
Man City defender Nico O’Reilly told Sky Sports: “It’s an incredible feeling to win the final and beat this team. We know how good they are.”
“Now we need to build on it. It will give us good momentum. We are very busy today.
Nico O’Reilly heads his second goal past Kepa Arrizabalaga
“It was a little unbelievable to see all the fans cheering like that when I scored. It felt really good and I had a great birthday weekend.”
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been playing in midfield, arriving in the box and scoring goals. To take that to the highest level is good for me, it has an additional influence on my play and it feels great.”
Pep makes League Cup history
Manchester City, under manager Josep Guardiola, overtook Brian Clough, Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho with all four wins to win their fifth League Cup, the most in the competition’s history. Arsenal have lost in each of the last four League Cup finals. Manchester City are playing the longest final in the competition’s history without any team taking home the trophy. Manchester City won the League Cup for the ninth time. They are currently only one point behind Liverpool (10th place), who are the all-time leaders in the competition. The Citizens have won the tournament in seven of the past 13 seasons.
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James Trafford made a triple save to deny Arsenal in the first half
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Kepa’s mistake gives Manchester City the lead
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Nico O’Reilly added a second goal just four minutes after the first.
