Arsenal stars couldn't bear to watch Manchester City lift the Carabao Cup at Wembley as Mikel Arteta's side shift focus to Premier League title race with two months of the season remaining
Declan Rice
Declan Rice cut a frustrated figure as Arsenal watched Manchester City lift the Carabao Cup(Image: AFP or licensors)
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As Manchester City climbed the lengthy staircase to claim the Carabao Cup trophy at Wembley, Mikel Arteta assembled his disheartened Arsenal players on the pitch for a moment of contemplation.
The Spaniard wants the Gunners to capture this sensation - the overwhelming disappointment and exasperation - and he anticipates his squad will harness it as motivation and drive to propel themselves towards success on alternative battlegrounds.
It was a moving scene, but what was especially notable is four of Arsenal's crucial and fundamental players – Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba and Riccardo Calafiori – could not bring themselves to witness City claiming the silverware the Premier League frontrunners had yearned for.
Just as Bernardo Silva was presented with the opportunity to hoist the trophy skyward, the quartet looked down towards the ground whilst the remainder of their colleagues stared upwards.
The anguish was etched across their faces and understandably so. But ultimately, all hope is not extinguished and that must be the principal motivation and focus during the international break and afterwards.
There is no disputing victory at Wembley would have been monumental and silverware would have established the benchmark for further triumphs later in the campaign.
Declan Rice of Arsenal & his team-mates react to conceding a second goal
Arsenal fell short again as they lost to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final(Image: Getty Images)
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However, Arsenal remain in the driving seat in the Premier League and are solidly in command of their own fate. This may prompt uncomfortable questions regarding their mentality and capacity to deliver when it matters most, but if the squad can unite when club football resumes, the team's route forward is clearly laid out before them.
Secure victory or avoid defeat at the Etihad and the title feels like a formality because City have demonstrated on multiple occasions they possess the tendency to surrender careless points.
The likelihood of City claiming their remaining eight top-flight fixtures feels improbable. Five victories and two stalemates should suffice for Arsenal, but if they can battle their way to triumph at the Etihad, they would be within reach of concluding the club's 22-year wait for English football's ultimate honour.
Now is not the moment to waver or contemplate the possibility of further heartbreak because Arsenal are presently so near to completing the task.
The likes of Gabriel, Rice and Saliba, who have contributed so significantly to the campaign, are entitled to feel wounded and a sense of anguish, but in merely a matter of weeks, it could well be City standing in their position, feeling dejected, drained of vitality and reconciling themselves with coming up short.
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