Manchester City clinched their first trophy of the season, and Pep Guardiola’s first trophy in English football, as the league leaders cruised to a 3-0 win over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
From the get-go, the Citizens looked surprisingly comfortable as they took charge of a final that was touted to be a dogged affair between two sides that are having contrasting seasons. Arsenal have had arguably one of their worst seasons during the Arsene Wenger era, currently sitting in sixth place and 10 points behind the top four positions. Defeat in the Carabao Cup final means that the Europa League is their last chance to win a trophy and guarantee Champions League football for next season.
City took the lead after 18 minutes after Claudio Bravo’s route-one goal-kick found Sergio Aguero unmarked, who only had to run through on goal and chip David Ospina off his line to give his side a deserved lead. Arsenal’s argument that Shkodran Mustafi was fouled by Aguero in the build-up to the goal was waved away by match officials. For the rest of the first half, Arsenal struggled to find an ascendancy in the match and looked toothless up front with Aubameyang isolated.
In the second half, City increased their tempo and extended their advantage through captain Vincent Kompany. Kevin De Bruyne, from a corner, found Ilkay Gundogan in space to pick out Kompany to slot past Ospina and put another dent into Arsenal’s confidence. Minutes later, the game was sealed as Danilo found David Silva with a threaded pass, with the Spaniard leaving Calum Chambers perplexed to hit a wonderful low strike into the bottom corner to make it 3-0.
This victory is significant in Manchester City’s chase for a potential treble, with a quadruple all but ended by Wigan Athletic (again) in the FA Cup. Pep Guardiola will be determined to ensure that the Premier League is wrapped up in the next few games as his side continue their record-breaking season. Who knows, maybe a Champions League trophy could also be on the cards?
Here are our player ratings from the match.
