Manchester City defeated Arsenal 2-0 in the League Cup final at Wembley to secure the first pieces of major silverware in 2025-26.
Manchester City picked up their ninth League Cup trophy thanks to a 2-0 win over Arsenal in the 2026 EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
Few would have predicted Nico O’Reilly to be their hero, but the English full-back, who only celebrated his 21st birthday yesterday, scored both goals in a second half that City dominated following a cagey first-half display.
The victory continued an astonishing run by Pep Guardiola in the competition, with the Spaniard now winning all five of his League Cup final appearances as their manager, becoming the first ever coach to win the competition five times.
In what was the first English League Cup final in history to be played between the top two teams in the country at the time of the match, both Arsenal and Man City handed appearances to their usual backup goalkeepers.
James Trafford (23 years, 163 days old) was selected for City, becoming the youngest English goalkeeper to start a League Cup final at Wembley since Chris Woods for Nottingham Forest versus Liverpool in 1978 (18y 124d).
He was called upon early in the game, keeping the scores level in the seventh minute, making a brilliant triple save following shots from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka (twice) in the space of four seconds.
Those would be the only shots on target in the entire first half, with Man City failing to register one in a competitive match before half-time for just the fourth time across 53 games in 2025-26.
Overall, there were just seven shots in the first half – the fewest in the opening 45 minutes of a League Cup or FA Cup final since Chelsea versus Man City in the 2019 League Cup final (five).
City didn’t attempt a shot on target until the 60th minute, but they made it count.
After a glaring error from Gunners’ goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who mishandled a Rayan Cherki cross, O’Reilly beat Martín Zubimendi to the ball to head into an open net from two yards out.
He (21 years, 1 day old) became the youngest League Cup final goalscorer since Joe Mason for Cardiff City versus Liverpool in 2012 (20y 289d), and the second youngest for Man City after Peter Barnes in 1976 (18y 263d).
O’Reilly made it 2-0 just four minutes later, scoring another header after a perfect cross from Matheus Nunes, making him the third youngest player to score twice in a League Cup final after Wayne Rooney in 2006 (20y 125d for Man Utd) and Ronnie Whelan in 1982 (20y 169d for Liverpool).Mikel Arteta had never lost at Wembley with Arsenal as either a player (W3 D1) or a manager (W2 D2) – going on to win on penalties after all three of those draws – before today, and although they’ll still be supremely confident of securing silverware in 2025-26, this would have been a psychological blow against their Premier League title rivals.
It was City’s first win in seven attempts against Arsenal and although Arteta’s side still lead City by nine points in the Premier League table, albeit having played a game more than them, they must still face one another in the league on 19 April. There’s every chance they could come up against each other in the FA Cup too.
The second half performance was more like what we’ve come to expect from Man City under Guardiola over the years, dominating the ball and forcing opponents to become frantic when they do get infrequent opportunities to have it.
We’ve seen enough so far this campaign to suggest that this Arsenal side are beyond the frailties that we’ve seen in previous seasons that have eventually stopped them winning trophies, but this defeat will hurt them. Coupled with the fact that the team didn’t perform in arguably their biggest game of the season so far, maybe it’ll be enough to plant a seed of doubt at a crucial period of the campaign. We’ll soon find out.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Arsenal vs Manchester City stats from the 2026 League Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 22 March 2026.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City Post-Match Facts
Post-match Opta facts to follow.Enjoy this? Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City Stats: O’Reilly Double Gives Guardiola Record-Breaking Fifth League Cup Title Opta Analyst.
Hence then, the article about arsenal 0 2 manchester city stats o reilly double gives guardiola record breaking fifth league cup title was published today ( ) and is available on The Analyst ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City Stats: O’Reilly Double Gives Guardiola Record-Breaking Fifth League Cup Title )
Also on site :
- Firefighters rush to Morrisons convenience store in Oswestry after report of fire
- Today's Famous Celebrity Birthdays for March 22, 2026: Reese Witherspoon, William Shatner
- Iranian Revolutionary Guard: 200 Killed and Wounded Among Zionist Enemy in 73rd Wave