Manchester City ended Arsenal’s bid for a historic quadruple with a deserved victory in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
Nico O’Reilly struck twice in four second-half minutes as Pep Guardiola’s side overpowered the Premier League leaders with an outstanding display.
It was a painful day for Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta, whose decision to retain goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for the competition instead of first-choice David Raya proved costly.
Kepa handed City the opener on the hour mark, dropping a routine cross from Rayan Cherki for O’Reilly to capitalise with a stooping header.
O’Reilly quickly doubled City’s lead, arriving at the far post to power home Matheus Nunes’ cross with another header, prompting Guardiola to sprint down the touchline in celebration.
The victory sees Guardiola become the first manager to win the EFL Cup five times, while Arteta and Arsenal must wait longer for their first major trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.
