Manchester City won the first silverware of the season as they defeated Arsenal by two goals to nil at Wembley. Guardiola`s men were the underdogs going into the final but showed fight and class in the second half to extend Arsenal`s trophy drought.
Arsenal arrived at Wembley dreaming of a quadruple, but that dream was short-lived. Manchester boy and City academy graduate Nico O’Reilly scored twice to hand Arteta a defeat in the Carabao Cup final.
The first half belonged to Arsenal, who were good in possession and created chances. James Trafford in City`s goal was called into action early on but denied both Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz. Both teams went in at half-time with scores level and nothing to separate the two.
In the second half, City showed their class. They were aggressive from the start, pressing Arsenal`s defence and causing problems. O’Reilly opened the scoring after Arsenal`s keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga fumbled a cross. The City youngstar was on hand to score and give his team the lead.
The match was effectively over in the next four minutes as O’Reilly doubled City`s lead from a header. Nunes put the ball in the box, and O’Reilly attacked it from deep, leaving the Arsenal defenders no chance.
After Wayne Rooney and Ronnie Whelan, O`Reilly became the third-youngest player to score twice in a League Cup final. It was a record-breaking fifth League Cup victory for Pep Guardiola, surpassing both Brian Clough and the great Sir Alex Ferguson.
Man City and Arsenal are still involved in the title race
The Carabao Cup final was a taster for what`s to come in the Premier League. Arsenal and City are the top two teams in the league, going head-to-head for the title. Arsenal are currently 9 points clear at the top; however, City have a game in hand and will face Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in April.
After the game, Guardiola said that it was `Arsenal`s title to lose`, suggesting all the pressure is on the Gunners. However, with 22-years without a league title, Arsenal will have to be mentally strong to take that last step and win the Premier League.
