Arsenal were once again on the wrong side of the podium and this one may even hurt more.
Arsenal lost the Carabao Cup final 2-0 to Manchester City courtesy of two quick goals from Nico O’Reilly.
2026 LEAGUE CUP WINNERS!!! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ICxLVwIhOD
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 22, 2026
Arsenal put in the effort, especially in the first half but as things patterned out, they were found wanting and left searching for answers as City scored two unreplied goals.
This loss was all their own doing.
In the first half, especially the opening ten minutes, Arsenal had a different type of energy and took the game to City. They came close through Havertz and Saka who forced Trafford into a triple save and that short passage of play was the best we saw of Arsenal in attack in this final.
They just seemed to drop off after. City had all the possession and they controlled it. Arsenal aren’t known to create a lot of chances and City used this to their advantage. While they held onto the ball, they ensured Arsenal were almost always under pressure with Doku and Semenyo running at White and Hincapie.
This was also Arsenal’s second undoing, soaking pressure.
Arsenal’s approach to this game is baffling. Parking the bus against a team they could easily have got at. Weird from Arteta
— Mark Goldbridge (@markgoldbridge) March 22, 2026
They didn’t attack and they let City move them from side to side. Semenyo had the better of Hincapie, putting in dangerous crosses. Although it took Doku some time, he also gave White a lot to think about.
Manchester City had already noticed that Hincapie was the weak link and they kept plugging away on that part of the pitch.
Many would’ve expected that Arteta would substitute Hincapie for Calafiori but that delay gave City what they needed as both goals came from that wing.
Kepa also has his fair share of the blame as he let the ball squirm past his hands for the first goal and then for the second goal, he was clearly out of position.
It was a game of margins and while Trafford was excellent on City’s hard, Kepa is one of the many reasons this game didn’t go Arsenal’s way.
Kepa Arrizabalaga in League Cup finals:
2019: Refused to be substituted off with the game heading to penalties
2022: Blasted his penalty over as Chelsea lost 11-10 to Liverpool on spot kicks
2026: Let the ball slip out of his hands as Nico O’Reilly gave Manchester City the lead pic.twitter.com/qvgNcpWmNz— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) March 22, 2026
To be fair, Arsenal’s defence was ball watching for the second goal and nothing could’ve been done about it but in another scenario, you can’t help but ask, what if Raya was in goal?
Arsenal and Arteta will look back at this and learn a huge lesson. The quadruple charge is over but there are still three more trophies to chase.
Over $1 billion spent on players and still no trophies since 2020 for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal 🕸️ pic.twitter.com/oarlufzGYH
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 22, 2026
Nine points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League and they are in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.
It’s not over yet and as they go into the international break, Arsenal cannot allow this loss affect their mentality. There is still a lot to play for.
