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Reaction as Manchester City beat Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final, winning 2-0 after two goals from Nico O'Reilly It's a record fifth win in the competition for manager Pep Guardiola, who celebrated jubilantly and described it as 'special' Man City looked like an experienced title-winning team in the second half, with more of the ball and carrying a constant threat Arsenal, meanwhile, struggled to replicate the performances that have seen them move clear of Man City in the Premier League table The result ends their hopes of an unprecedented quadruple but Arsenal still have high hopes and probabilities of winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League this season Written by Craig Nelson, Tasnim Chowdhury, Adwaidh Rajan & Tyrese King. Arsenal 0-2 Man City Pep Guardiola's Manchester City were head and shoulders above Arsenal in all meaningful metrics at Wembley on Sunday. They dominated possession at 61. 9% and played 546 passes with an 87% accuracy rate - compared to the Gunners' 332 at 78% accuracy. Both sides registered 10 shots during the 90 minutes but it was no surprise that it was City who scored twice, generating an expected goals (x G) of 1. 51 while Arsenal only had an x G of 0. 63. But the two sides had cancelled each other out in the first half where City didn’t register a single shot on target. Once the second half began though, City were on a different level. They were the more progressive and aggressive side. Their attacking intent started to overwhelm Arsenal, the pressure became impossible to resist. City were smoother on the ball and more cohesive than an Arsenal side based on organisation - the traffic only flowed one way. So Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his players have the international break to process what happened in the Carabao Cup final before the jump back on the horse and attempt to ride their season all the way to the finish. But what lessons will they learn from Sunday's "painful" defeat? Premier League fixtures unless stated Arsenal Here's a look at Arsenal's packed fixture schedule for April: Arsenal 0-2 Man City Ian Wright Former Arsenal striker on Sky Sports I think it’s not a bad thing for Arsenal to refocus and

reset themselves, because they have to, and it’s not going to be easy. Manchester City

players will be thinking it’s nine points, but they have a game in hand, and then

they play each other, so it could go down to three, and then the pressure really

heats up. So this Manchester City side, make no mistake, it’s a tight nine points, and I feel from Arsenal’s point of view, they need to really focus

and get themselves back on track. They need to win games now. People talk about

how they win games, with set pieces, but it doesn’t matter, everybody knows it

doesn’t matter. We have a DNA of winning games with resilience, and they have got to

kick into that, because I think this team know it isn’t over. Arsenal 0-2 Man City Arsenal Arsenal's hopes of winning an unprecedented Quadruple were ended by their Carabao Cup final defeat to rivals Manchester City. However, Mikel Arteta's side could still follow in the footsteps of City and Manchester United by winning the famous Treble - of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. They have a nine-point lead over City at the top of the Premier League table and are through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and FA Cup. According to Opta, they have a good chance of winning all three. Opta have given Arsenal a 97. 55% chance of winning the league, while Man City have just a 2. 45% chance. For the Champions League, Opta give the Gunners a 28. 30% chance of a glory. They are also favourites to reach the last four in the FA Cup after being drawn away to albeit in-form Championship side Southampton in the quarter-finals - their next match back after the international break on Saturday, 4 April. Right, we are moving on from all that Nico O'Reilly-inspired positivity now to have a look at where Arsenal lost the Carabao Cup final. .. Nico O'Reilly is part of a select group of 11 players who made Thomas Tuchel's latest England squad but will be rested for their first friendly of the international break against Uruguay, instead joining the camp to prepare for their second game against Japan. He looks to be a firm favourite of the Three Lions boss, but should the 21-year-old Manchester City graduate be a nailed-on starter? Thumbs up for yes, down for no. .. Arsenal 0-2 Man City Jay Bothroyd Former Premier League striker on BBC 5 Live Breakfast Unbelievable.

He’s level‑headed, mature, plays like someone older. Being used in different

positions in the academy helped him, as he knows how to get in the box. Pep and the senior players have kept him grounded. He’s a top player, should

start for England. Click 'Get Involved' to have your say O'Reilly is just so versatile, has so many brilliant physical attributes and most importantly he doesn't seem to be fazed. He plays with a maturity beyond his years, his nonchalant attitude reminds me of Cole Palmer sometimes. Proud to see another young Manc earn their place. Harry Arsenal 0-2 Man City John Murray BBC football correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live Not so much Nico O’Reilly

as blimey O’Reilly. What a weekend for him for this young man, he turned

21 on Saturday, then scored two goals yesterday to win a cup final for

Manchester City. When you think of all the millions of pounds worth of talent

on the Wembley pitch, here was a homegrown player. One of Manchester City’s

own, born and bred in Collyhurst, Manchester, academy product, from near the

Etihad, like Nobby Stiles and Brian Kidd. So it feels like for Nico O’Reily, the

world is his oyster this morning. He’s already in the England squad, Thomas Tuchel brought him in last autumn, and he debuted in November, started two World Cup qualifiers, and now he’s a trophy‑winner with City. In all honesty The question isn’t whether he’ll make the squad… it’s whether he’ll start England’s first match, as long as he’s fit and all is well. That is where he is in his career. It’s funny, I have interviewed him a few times, and he’s man of few words, he lets his football do the talking. Arsenal 0-2 Man City Shamoon Hafez BBC Sport Man City reporter at Wembley Cometh the hour, cometh the man - with the '0161' phone code inked on his body, Nico O'Reilly came calling on the big stage when City needed a hero to step up. His first finish was the easiest goal he is likely to score in his career, stooping close to the goalline to head in after Kepa Arrizabalaga fumbled the ball into his path. The second just four minutes later was a brilliantly-placed header from Matheus Nunes' cross, effectively sealing victory for a jubilant Guardiola who performed a jig of delight on the touchline. O'Reilly took the adulation of the City fans after his goals and it will be a double celebration this weekend after turning 21 on Saturday. The only players younger than O'Reilly to score twice in the final of this competition were 20-year-olds Wayne Rooney for Manchester United in 2006 and Liverpool's Ronnie Whelan back in 1982. Arsenal 0-2 Man City Manchester City Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on Nico O'Reilly: "Maybe he was the signing of the season. When we started the season we had a long conversation with him. He started to play at left-back and impressed a lot. "He can play in many roles, he is a guy in the final third in a position he likes. He made two fantastic goals. "When playing in the pocket, [which is] his natural position, every cross he is there. He is strong in the aerial actions especially offensively, [but] defensively he has to improve. " Click 'Get Involved' to have your say If Nico O'Reilly isn't on that plane to the World Cup someone's head needs to wobble. Someone also needs to sit Bernardo Silva down and tie him down for another season. The amount of fans he's rattled this season is amazing. Napper Arsenal 0-2 Man City Manchester City Manchester City goalscorer Nico O'Reilly said winning the Carabao Cup was an "unbelievable feeling". "To win a final, to beat this team. .. we know how good they are. We need to build on it, it will give us good momentum. Buzzing with today. "My whole family came down today. They are all in the stand and I know they will be buzzing. I can't wait to celebrate with them. "It's a blow for them [Arsenal], and we need to build on it and get some momentum from this game, " O'Reilly told BBC Radio Manchester. "As soon as the international break is over, we need to kick on and fight hard. "We've got a game in hand in the Premier League, we've got to play them [Arsenal] at our place, and we're still in the FA Cup. "We need to do everything we can to keep going. " Arsenal 0-2 Man City Shamoon Hafez BBC Sport Man City reporter at Wembley Nico O'Reilly has a tattoo of the Manchester area code etched on his arm and the Englishman will be the pride of the city following his man-of-the-match showing in his side's brilliant Carabao Cup final victory over Arsenal on Sunday. Academy product O'Reilly won the game for City with a pair of second-half headers into the goal in front of his club's ecstatic supporters. For a boyhood City fan to score twice at Wembley Stadium, this fairytale story has produced an unforgettable moment for the player, manager Pep Guardiola and supporters alike. O'Reilly was drafted into the City team last season to aid the squad's injury crisis in defence and has grabbed his opportunity - he now gets his hands on major silverware after delivering a performance that he will never forget. It's Monday, looks like we all need a boost, let's start with the positive. .. Right, let's have a deeper dive now into some of the stories of Sunday's Carabao Cup final and the tactical nuances that helped Manchester City finish on top. The question is, do we start with the positive - Nico O'Reilly's match-winning performance - or the negative - Kepa Arrizabalaga's costly mistake that handed City their opener? A quick show of thumbs please - thumbs up for positive, down for negative. .. Click 'Get Involved' to have your say Alec: Hunter or hunted? I’m a United fan. I’m happy to have a points cushion over 5/6th knowing it’s in our control. But we haven’t got City chasing us and we’re not fighting for the title, so it’s a different pressure. But hunted, definitely. Arsenal 0-2 Man City Arsenal More from Mikel Arteta on whether he regretted starting Kepa for the Carabao Cup final: "I made a decision before the game based on what he has done all season, the fact he has played in the competition and helped us be where we are today. It would have been very unfair to choose a different one. " On Arsenal's unbeaten run ending and the task to go on another winning run: "We had eight amazing months with this team. Today is a disappointment. We need to use that fire in the belly for the next two months to have an incredible season. " Click 'Get Involved' to have your say Arsenal were a bit negative and were deeper than the Mariana Trench for long periods. Outplayed. However, the fixtures that remain still make them strong favourites for the PL title. Adrian Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.