Manchester City defeated Arsenal 2-0 at Wembley stadium to win the Carabao Cup final, and now they have the Gunners truly in their sights as they target more silverware

Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo has urged his team-mates to finish the job and win more silverware this season after beating Arsenal 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final. The Blues were the dominant side in the second half and thoroughly deserved their win at Wembley Stadium.

Kepa Arrizabalaga fumbled Rayan Cherki’s cross to allow Nico O’Reilly to net the opener on the hour mark. Just four minutes later, the full-back had his second as he powered home Matheus Nunes’ cross. Arsenal pushed for a goal back with Gabriel Jesus’ header off the crossbar the closest Mikel Arteta’s side came.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Semenyo said: “First of many. I’m excited, I’m happy and many more to come. It feels like a fairytale if I’m honest but I feel I have a lot more to show. I want to show how versatile I am and just help the team as much as I can.

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“It gives us a boost, it gives us confidence coming back from the international break and hopefully catching up.

“We don’t want to speak too much because momentum can swing quickly. We just have to do our jobs and hopefully we can finish off the job.”

City sit nine points behind Arsenal in the Premier League. However, the title race is far from over with the Blues having a game in hand on the Gunners and still having to face them before the end of the season.

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The Blues are also still in the FA Cup and face Liverpool when they return after the international break.

For Semenyo, the win at Wembley was another step on what has been a brilliant journey for him. The Ghana international scored his first ever goal in the Carabao Cup for Newport County in 2018.

Asked about his journey, the forward concluded: “God’s got a plan. It might not work out and you might not know why, but the answer always reveals itself later on.”

Mikel Arteta made a mistake not replacing Piero Hincapie at half-time in Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City, according to Micah Richards.

A second-half brace from Nico O’Reilly sealed a 2-0 victory for City at Wembley on Sunday, dashing Arsenal’s hopes of winning an unprecedented quadruple this season.

With Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly named among the subs, Hincapie started at left-back, placing him up against Antoine Semenyo in City’s attack.

While it was a foul on Matheus Nunes that led to his first-half booking, Semenyo tormented the Ecuador international in the opening period, repeatedly beating him down the right flank to create City’s best openings.

It continued in the second-half with Semenyo providing the cross that led to O’Rielly’s opening goal after Kepa Arrizabalaga spilled his cross.

The former Bournemouth star noted post-match Hincapie’s booking had the Arsenal star ‘backing off’ and ‘gave me the opportunity to drive at him’.

Arteta appeared to be considering replacing his summer signing early on with Calafiori spotted warming up midway through the first-half. The change did not come until after 65 minutes however with the damage already done.

Former City star Richards identified Hincapie’s reluctance to get tight on his man as a result of that first-half booking as a real problem, believing he should have been replaced at the break.

‘You need to get tighter, and he could have got tighter if he wasn’t on that yellow card,’ Richards said.

‘That’s the difference and that is why I think Arteta should have made the change at half time because when you are defending on a yellow card, you defend differently especially when you are up against someone like Semenyo on that right hand side.’

Arsenal 0-2 Man City – Metro at the Match

Manchester City have secured the first silverware of the season after Arsenal failed to deliver at Wembley.

The quadruple dream is over and the Gunners must now pick up the pieces after a sobering setback.

For City, it has breathed life into their campaign after a dismal Champions League exit this week.

Kepa gamble backfires spectacularly

Mikel Arteta decided to keep faith in Kepa Arrizabalaga after starting the Spaniard in each round of the competition leading up to the final at Wembley today.

Pep Guardiola did likewise with James Trafford, but it was Arsenal who paid the price for dropping one of their best players. From the moment the second-half kicked off, Kepa dallied on the ball, inviting the pressure that would inevitably swarm all over the Gunners and trigger their downfall.

Raya has been spectacular this season, the best goalkeeper in the Premier League by some margin and in sublime form. Had he started, Sunday may have been a very different story.

Old Arsenal fears reignited

We have seen Arsenal collapse in the past. Past failures have so often been used as a stick to beat them with but things have felt different this season.

Victory today would have gone some way in erasing the lingering fears over another derailment . But defeat at Wembley could serve as a catalyst for something much bleaker.

Arsenal are still fighting on three fronts, in control of the Premier League title race and well-placed to continue marching on in Europe. But the effects of today could be season-altering. The woeful second-half showing was as bad as anything served up by them this term on the stage where they needed to be their best.

O’Reilly steps up

City needed a hero at Wembley and they found a home-grown one. With Phil Foden only coming on as an injury time substitute, left-back O’Reilly stepped up as City’s savour with two headers to save their season.

City were fantastic in the second period to a man and fed off Arsenal’s apprehension but it was the 21-year-old set the standard when they needed inspiration.  

Tony Mogan, live sports editor

City signed Semenyo for an initial £62million in the January transfer window with the Ghana international an instant hit in Manchester with seven goals to his name.

After clinching his first trophy with the club, he told Sky Sports: ‘It feels like a fairy tale to be honest.

‘But I’ve got a lot more to show. I want to play out wide, I want to play as a No9, I want to show how versatile I am and the help the team as much as I can.

‘I’m enjoying my football and it can only get better.

‘For me, it’s so personal, I’ve never won a trophy before. Give God all the glory.’

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Manchester City will not be able to call on Marc Guehi in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal despite fellow January signing Antoine Semenyo being available

Pep Guardiola doesn’t like it and many can’t understand it but Manchester City will not be able to call on Marc Guehi for their Carabao Cup final against Arsenal. Nearly two months after joining the club, the former Palace defender will have to sit out the match despite the fact fellow January signing Antoine Semenyo can play.

Semenyo’s involvement caused confusion and controversy when he lined up for Guardiola’s side in their semi-final against Newcastle United. Eddie Howe was not happy that Semenyo was able to play even though he had already featured in an earlier round for Bournemouth before his £62.5m winter transfer.

Not only did he play but the Ghana international was instrumental in City’s 2-0 win at St James’ Park in the first leg of their semi-final, helping the Blues back into their first League Cup final since 2021 when they beat Aston Villa to win the trophy for the fourth consecutive time. Guardiola will be able to call on Semenyo for Sunday’s game with Arsenal thanks to that tweak to the rules to allow players to feature in the same competition for two different teams.

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Guehi will not have that chance though – not because of his prior involvement with Crystal Palace but because he was not a City player before the first leg of their semi-final with Newcastle. The new rules of the competition as of this season mean that a new signing has to have joined before that date if they want to play in either the semi-final or the final.

That effectively makes Guehi the only cup-tied player in the competition this season, an unusual quirk that left Guardiola baffled after their place in the final was confirmed. “Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup (EFL) that Marc can play the final,” he said.

“I don’t understand why he cannot play the final. Hopefully we make a letter. You buy a player for a lot of money and he is not able to play for a rule I don’t understand. Hopefully they can change it. It is difficult to understand.”

Manchester City fans can book their seat at Wembley Stadium as Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta go head-to-head in their first shot at silverware this season.

Manchester City fans can still secure a seat at Wembley for the Carabao Cup final. On Sunday (March 22), the Blues will face their Premier League rivals in their first shot at silverware this season, and fans can book last-minute tickets today.

Pep Guardiola’s side may be trailing Arsenal in the league, but they could end the Gunners’ hopes of a historic quadruple with a win at Wembley. The two teams drew 1-1 when they last met in September, but a lot has happened since then, with City strengthening their squad with new signings like Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guéhi.

Man City enjoyed an incredible run of four straight League Cup wins from 2018 to 2021 and could lift the trophy for a ninth time should they beat Arsenal on Sunday. The club’s own allocation of tickets has sold out, but there are still plenty available from other official channels like Seat Unique, where fans can book a range of luxury Carabao Cup Final VIP and hospitality packages.

They don’t come cheap, with prices starting at £1,399 per person for a Taphouse Social – Manchester City ticket, but this is touted as ‘the ultimate luxury matchday experience’. Included in the price is premium seating on Level Two, Wembley’s middle tier with padded seats offering stellar views of the pitch.

Guests will have access to the stadium 2.5 hours before kick-off, when they can enjoy the Taphouse Social, Wembley’s new premium area full of exclusive food and drink outlets. This includes a bar with 48 taps pouring beers, wine, cocktails, spirits and soft drinks, plus pies and pastries from Taphouse Bites.

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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.

Fans can access Taphouse Social on two sides of the stadium – West and East – but only tickets to the dedicated Man City area are available. However, fans should note the stadium will close one hour after the final whistle.

Seat Unique’s other VIP package is the luxury Bobby Moore Lounge at £3,499 per person. This includes unrivalled premium seating on the halfway line, offering ‘the very best views of the match’ close to the dugout and trophy route.

The exclusive Bobby Moore lounge is said to be one of Wembley’s ‘finest hospitality lounges’. A ticket provides a seat at a shared table for up to three hours before kick-off and an hour after the match.

Here, guests can enjoy Canapés on arrival and unlimited Laurent Perrier Champagne both pre and post-match. Perhaps more importantly, a ticket includes a complimentary bar of beers, fine wines, spirits and soft drinks.

As well as a four-course meal and cheeseboard served after the game.

Similar packages may be available directly from Wembley Stadium. With supporters able to enquire via this online form.

For those watching at home, the Carabao Cup final will be shown live on ITV and Sky Sports. Kick-off is at 4.30pm on Sunday, March 22.

Manchester City picked up a major victory on Saturday night to keep the pressure firmly on Arsenal in the title race

16:59, 23 Feb 2026

Manchester City showed a different side to their game on Saturday as they beat Newcastle United and kept pace with Arsenal. The Blues were steely in defence as Eddie Howe’s team pushed for an equaliser.

City may have been fortunate to see Dan Burn’s goal chalked off but they deserved the three points. It was not only Rayan Ait-Nouri, Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi and, later, Abdukodir Khusanov defending, it was a team effort. With this in mind, MEN Sport has taken a look at four defensive tactics City used to win the game.

Erling Haaland

It speaks volumes that Haaland was singled out by Pep Guardiola for his defensive work, rather than his offensive play. “I’m not a big fan to put Erling to defend, but he helped us, and I know after that how the people hug him and celebrate him and say they’re grateful to help us because Newcastle allowed us to do that,” the City boss said.

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The Norwegian joined the defence for set pieces to deal with the aerial threats of Burn, Nick Woltemade and Malick Thiaw. And he showed the same intensity in this task as he does in the opposition box.

At one stage, you could see Haaland bouncing from side to side as he anticipated the cross coming in. The striker showed he is more than just a source of goals and silenced those who thought otherwise.

Duo helping

City don’t just have Haaland helping their defence, Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo also joined the effort. While neither man can clear an aerial delivery like Haaland, they both worked hard to keep the lead intact.

Both forwards were quick to track back and follow the wingers when Newcastle broke away. This can often go unnoticed but the duo’s pace halted some promising counters and allowed the defence to recover their line.

The one time they didn’t track back quick enough, Anthony Gordon forced a good save from Gianluigi Donnarumma so it’s clear how important defending from the front is.

Vintage Rodri

There’s a reason City have been weaker when Rodri is out of the team. He provides protection to the defence unlike anyone else in this squad.

We have associated the Spaniard with his brilliant passing range and crunching tackles but on Saturday, his aerial ability started the move for Nico O’Reilly’s opener. He won the header from Newcastle’s long ball which sparked the City counter.

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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.

He may go about his work unassumingly but Rodri is the best defensive midfielder in the world because he can do everything. On Saturday, he used one of the strings on his bow to devastating effect.

Bernardo’s work rate

Guardiola will be gutted when Bernardo Silva leaves because there are few players who have his engine. In the second half, the captain could be found in both boxes helping his team.

In the defensive third, he became the fifth body if Rodri was caught further up the pitch. Bernardo won’t class himself as an excellent defender, but his presence in the box suffocated options – as shown when Anthony Elanga looked up to find nobody free in the area thanks to Bernardo.

This hesitation allowed Ait-Nouri to barge Elanga out of play. It was not an evening when Bernardo stole the show up front but his work rate remains a huge asset for the Blues.

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