Manchester City win Carabao Cup after Nico O’Reilly double downs Arsenal

Nico O’Reilly scored two headers as Manchester City beat Arsenal to lift the Carabao Cup, the 16th major trophy of Pep Guardiola’s City tenure excluding Community Shields. City entered the final as underdogs but reasserted themselves with calm, cohesion on the ball, and a balanced lineup that eventually cut Arsenal down.

Arsenal arrived having been the pre-eminent team this season and unbeaten in the previous six meetings against City, including the 2023 Community Shield on penalties. It was Mikel Arteta’s second cup final and his only major silverware remains the 2020 FA Cup; a “Wembley Again Olé, Olé” banner appeared in the City end.

Without the injured Eberechi Eze, Arsenal never found the creativity they needed. The match’s clearest moment for Arsenal came in the seventh minute when Martín Zubimendi’s pass sent Kai Havertz through one-on-one, only for James Trafford to block and then deny Bukayo Saka on the rebound.

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