Nico O’Reilly struck twice in a brilliant five-minute spell after the break to secure Manchester City’s victory in the Carabao Cup final and put an end to Arsenal’s hopes of winning four trophies this season.
City took the lead just past the hour mark when stand-in Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga mishandled Rayan Cherki’s cross, allowing O’Reilly to head in from close range. The momentum stayed firmly with City, who doubled their advantage only four minutes later as O’Reilly finished off a cross from Matheus Nunes, prompting jubilant celebrations from Pep Guardiola on the touchline.
Arsenal pushed for a comeback, coming close through Riccardo Calafiori, who hit the post, and Gabriel Jesus, whose effort struck the crossbar. However, City held firm to see out the win, giving Guardiola his 19th trophy in an extraordinary decade-long spell at the club.
Mikel Arteta’s side had entered Sunday’s final at Wembley with ambitions of completing a historic quadruple and ending a six-year trophy drought. Instead, the defeat reinforces their reputation for falling just short and raises fresh doubts about how the rest of their season will unfold.