It was a day of what-ifs and fine margins at Wembley as Arsenal’s quest for League Cup glory ended in a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City. In a match that showcased the narrow gap between the top two sides in England, it was City’s Nico O’Reilly who proved the difference with two second-half headers, denying us our first League Cup since 1993.
The Gunners started with immense intensity, pinning City back in the opening stages. James Trafford, City’s second-choice keeper, was forced into an incredible triple save in the seventh minute to deny both Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka. Gabriel Jesus also rattled the crossbar with a header that looked destined for the net.
Mikel Arteta: "We are all feeling extremely sad, especially with the way the game went. In the first half I think we were the better team, had the best two chances and certainly the best chance of the game to capitalise and get the momentum you need in a final."
The deadlock was broken in the 60th minute. A cross from Rayan Cherki caused confusion in the Arsenal box, and Kepa Arrizabalaga was unable to claim it cleanly. Nico O’Reilly was the quickest to react, nodding home from close range. Just four minutes later, O'Reilly rose highest again to meet a Matheus Nunes cross, doubling City's lead and effectively sealing the contest.
"In the second half we started to have certain issues to get out of that block," the boss explained. "Without them having any shots, the first one, it’s a very unusual goal that we’ve conceded, and the second shot they’ve had all game, they scored the second and then the game becomes very tough."
Mikel admits that seeing us lose a final is a "painful" defeat to take, but is determined to use it as fuel to drive us to bigger things this season. With a first Premier League title since the Invincibles 22 years ago still in our sights, along with a European quarter-final, the gaffer is looking forward.
"It's hard because everyone as a player really wanted it today and I know the supporters wanted it. The fact that we haven’t managed to deliver it is very, very painful. We've had a remarkable eight months together, and now there's an international break. We all go into there with a very hard feeling and pain, and we're going to use that as fuel for the next two months."
The performance showed that the Gunners are well and truly among Europe's elite, pushing City to the limit. As the boss says: "We keep going. We'll recover from that and go again."
Man of the Match: Nico O'Reilly. The 21-year-old Manchester City academy graduate was the difference-maker on the day, securing the award with two clinical second-half headers to earn his first major trophy.
Image Credits: https://www.arsenal.com/news/gallery-33-photos-wembley