Manchester City re-asserted themselves as trophy winners supreme as they gave Arsenal a chastening reality check with a 2-0 victory in the League Cup final thanks to Nico O'Reilly's second-half double at Wembley on Sunday.
Premier League leaders Arsenal arrived as favourites to win their first trophy since 2020 but were found wanting as City deservedly won the competition for the ninth time.
Five of those have come since Pep Guardiola arrived in 2016 and the Spaniard is now the most successful manager in the competition's history, moving past Jose Mourinho, Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough who all won it four times.
It might be one of the sweetest triumphs of Guardiola's vast collection too as his impressive side shrugged off their midweek elimination in the Champions League to make a mockery of talk of power shifts and Arsenal quadruples.
Arsenal, who had not won the League Cup since 1993, simply did not show up and will have to dust themselves down and focus on trying to clinch a first Premier League title since 2004.
As a final the showpiece did not live up to the pre-match billing with the first half a dreary stalemate.
Arsenal players look dejected after losing the Carabao Cup Final to Manchester City at Wembley Stadium, London, Britain, on March 22, 2026
Photo credit: Reuters
But City went up a gear after the break and O'Reilly capitalised on a fumble by Arsenal keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to give City a deserved lead on the hour.
Arrizabalaga could only push a cross by Rayan Cherki over his own head and the ball bounced down for the alert O'Reilly to stoop and head into the empty goal.
Four minutes later City effectively wrapped it up as they created an overlap down the right and Matheus Nunes clipped a perfect cross for the 21-year-old O'Reilly to head in.
Arsenal's frustration was evident and Ben White was booked for clattering Cherki after the Frenchman indulged in some ball juggling near the touchline.
Mikel Arteta's side huffed and puffed and Gabriel hit the bar late on, but they showed little invention and looked jaded.
By the time Bernardo Silva went up to lift the trophy, very few of the Arsenal supporters were still left, while at the other end City's joyous fans broke into their Blue Moon anthem.
City did not win a trophy last year and are nine points behind Arsenal in the Premier League but showed on Sunday that they are still very much a force to be reckoned with.
