An error by the Spanish goalkeeper was decisive and gave O’Reilly the opening goal. And in 4′ the English talent also scores a brace that closes the final
The man of the cup is always him, Pep Guardiola. At Wembley it is the celebration of his Manchester City, who beat Arsenal 2-0 thanks to Nico O’Reilly’s brace and won the Carabao Cup, the league cup which Pep became the first manager to lift five times. A more than deserved triumph, because when we really started playing after the sleepy first half, City seemed more on the ball, more determined, more concrete. Thanks to the new talent launched this year by Pep, who just yesterday celebrated his 21st birthday, but above all thanks to a more determined team, which rose to the level well before a pass from Kepa gave City the lead. Guardiola also won in this, in the choice of the reserve goalkeeper: both he and Arteta decided to put faith in their number 12, but the Arsenal one has on his conscience the 1-0 goal that changed the match and effectively extinguished the Quadruple dream, while the City one made a triple save in the 7th minute which slowed down the Gunners’ initial momentum. Cups are also won like this.
the keys
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O’Reilly could have given himself many gifts for his 21st birthday, but he chose the cup with three handles, trophy number 19 of Pep’s management at City. His brace, his second season, shows how much he has grown in front of goal too. Having done it under the eyes of Thomas Tuchel, among the over 88,000 at Wembley, makes him the starting left-back for England at the World Cup. City won because they changed gear when needed, finding goals from O’Reilly that others couldn’t (Haaland was blank at Wembley for the seventh time in his career). With Bernardo Silva, the usual inexhaustible engine in midfield, City returns to Manchester with an extra trophy and an important psychological advantage to try to use in their attempt to make a comeback in the Premier League. Arsenal now have a 9-point lead and a game in hand, but with the direct clash at the Etihad to be played on 19 April, City at least want to try. This match basically showed that their rivals are beatable and this knockout risks making them more insecure. Arteta chose the worst time to miss a match at Wembley for the first time in his career. Kepa betrayed him, making a mistake on the goal that gave City the go-ahead, but also a team incapable of igniting, beyond that triple chance in the 7th minute. Kai Havertz flopped as number 10, Bukayo Saka confirmed that he still lacks something to be a phenomenon, Viktor Gyökeres worked hard to put the central defensive pair improvised by Guardiola in difficulty (Dias knocked out, Guehi not usable in the cup) but never had any opportunities. So much so that the best was Riccardo Calafiori, in in the 65th minute and Arsenal’s most active man. This defeat, the first after two months of being unbeaten in all competitions, not only closes the Quadruple issue, that en plein that no one has ever achieved in English football which seemed within reach for these Gunners, but it raises doubts about the mental ability of Arteta’s team to climb the last step they need to be great, that of starting to win trophies. There will be no shortage of opportunities, because Arsenal controls the Premier League and are favorites in both the Champions League quarter-finals with Sporting and the FA Cup quarter-finals with Southampton, but this was a final they looked like they could win and instead they ended up back in the bag with the cup in sight.
the match
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Only a triple save by Trafford in the 7th minute in the list of chances in a first half that was too tactical to be spectacular. The second half restarted with the thrill of an adventurous exit by Kepa outside the area, which was closed due to a yellow card for the goalkeeper for a foul on Doku, a prologue to the mess that the Arsenal goalkeeper caused in the 60th minute: Cherki’s cross from the right, Kepa let the ball escape in a high grip and O’Reilly behind him transformed it into a 1-0 City lead. It happens again four minutes later, again with a header, this time with an assist from Nunes. Arteta asks for help from Calafiori and Madueke (with Saka moving as an attacking midfielder) to try to turn the game around: the blue is the most active of his team, with two important occasions such as the crossbar that Jesus, another substitute, hits in the 88th minute. It’s too little: when the referee blows the final whistle, the blue side of Wembley sings to the tune of “Hey Jude” and waves their flags. Pep did it again: he won a trophy with City.
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