Manchester City claimed the Carabao Cup title with a convincing 2-0 victory over Arsenal, thanks to a quickfire second-half double from Nico O’Reilly.
The defender turned unlikely hero, scoring twice within four minutes to hand City the advantage and ultimately seal the win. Both goals came from headers, leaving Arsenal stunned and unable to recover.
The breakthrough came after a costly mistake by Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was preferred in goal ahead of David Raya. He failed to deal with a cross from Rayan Cherki, allowing the ball to slip through his hands and fall kindly for O’Reilly to tap into an empty net.
Moments later, O’Reilly struck again, this time heading home a well-delivered cross from Matheus Nunes to double City’s lead.
Arsenal, playing in their first cup final since their 2020 FA Cup triumph, tried to fight back but were denied by the woodwork on two occasions, with efforts from Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Jesus.
Despite their efforts, City’s experience and composure proved decisive as they comfortably saw out the game.
The victory marks another milestone for manager Pep Guardiola, securing his fifth League Cup triumph with Manchester City, while also ending Arsenal’s hopes of completing a historic quadruple this season.