Manchester City capitalised on a costly Kepa Arrizabalaga error to win the League Cup 2-0 against Arsenal, with Nico O’Reilly scoring twice at Wembley.
MANCHESTER CITY lifted the League Cup after capitalising on a catastrophic error from Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, with Nico O’Reilly’s second-half double sealing a 2-0 victory in Sunday’s final at Wembley.
The win gives manager Pep Guardiola a record fifth triumph in the competition and City their ninth overall League Cup. Arsenal’s gamble to start Kepa over first-choice David Raya backfired spectacularly, with the Spaniard’s tortured history in this tournament continuing.
Kepa, who infamously refused to be substituted before a penalty shoot-out in the 2019 final while at Chelsea, gifted City the lead on the hour mark. He allowed Rayan Cherki’s cross to slip through his fingers, presenting O’Reilly with a simple close-range header.
Shell-shocked Arsenal completely lost their composure after the blunder. City delivered the knockout blow just four minutes later when Matheus Nunes’ cross found O’Reilly, who powered a header past Kepa to seal the victory.
Guardiola celebrated the goal with a frenzied sprint down the touchline, earning a booking for his exuberance. The victory ends City’s trophy drought after a season where they failed to win silverware and fell behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race.
Arsenal, who remain in control of the Premier League and are in the FA Cup and Champions League quarter-finals, paid the price for Arteta’s conservative tactics. Their failure ends a bid for an unprecedented quadruple and extends their wait for a first trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.
City started strongly, with stand-in goalkeeper James Trafford making a sensational triple save early on to deny Kai Havertz and then twice block Bukayo Saka from the rebound. Arsenal stifled City for long periods but offered little creativity, with even their usually potent set-pieces proving ineffective.
The victory provides a vital boost for City following their recent Champions League exit to Real Madrid. Guardiola, whose future at the club remains unconfirmed, can now use this win as a springboard to close the nine-point gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal.