Manchester City defeated Arsenal 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday, with Nico O’Reilly scoring twice in the second half.
The first goal capitalised on an error by Kepa Arrizabalaga, with Rayan Cherki’s cross slipping through his hands, before O’Reilly added a second off a delivery by Matheus Nunes.
Man City’s victory marked a record fifth League Cup triumph for manager Pep Guardiola, moving him ahead of Brian Clough, Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho.
For Arsenal, it was a fourth consecutive League Cup final defeat – the longest run without winning the trophy in the competition’s history.
Arteta defends Kepa selection
“I’m very sad. It’s a hard one to take,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted during the post-match press conference.
“We know how much it means and how much we wanted it. The fact we haven’t managed to deliver that is disappointing and leaves a bad taste.”
On the decision to start Kepa, he added: “I have to do what I think is right, which is honest and fair.
“Kepa is an outstanding ‘keeper and it would have been very unfair on him to do something different.
“I can never promise a player to play certain competitions. They have to earn it and do enough.
“We are guided by what we see – what he’s done in the competition and how he helped us to get us to the final. I believe it was the right thing to do.
“Errors are part of football and unfortunately it happened in a crucial moment.”
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Guardiola praises ‘special’ win
“What can I say? Always, when you win a trophy, it’s important,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.
“But this was special because we’ve had a tough two weeks and especially because of the opponent.
“The first 15 minutes, they suffocated us. We could not breathe. After that, we started to play, especially Jérémy [Doku] and Rayan.
“I’m really pleased but Mikel has created a team that is almost unbeatable. When you start to win and the players are young, you can continue that.
“I need to know them first. I need to know how they react in certain situations.
“I think we will be able to learn from this as a team, and hopefully next season we can do better.”
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O’Reilly ‘buzzing’ after brace
Speaking to reporters after the game, O’Reilly gave his thoughts on the victory, saying: “Unbelievable feeling to win a final and beat this team. We know how good they are.
“Now we need to build on it. It will give us good momentum.
“I’m buzzing with today. A bit of disbelief seeing all the fans cheering like that when I scored those goals. A really good feeling, a great birthday weekend.
“Since I was a kid, I was playing in midfield and arriving in the box, scoring goals. To bring it to the highest level, it’s good for me, adds to my game and it’s a great feeling.”
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SportJustSport writers