And with that, Arsenal’s quest for a historic quadruple is done and over. They were heading to Wembley for the Carabao Cup final but it was as if they forgot to get off the bus and entered the clear space under the arch.
Much has been made of Arsenal’s now six-year drought and a 2-0 defeat under the lights in London, that drought continues, at least until they lift the Premier League title in two months’ time.
For now, the Gunners are in the driving seat to do so, but how this defeat to Manchester City will affect them psychologically remains to be seen.
This was a stunning blow as Pep Guardiola’s men won 2-0 thanks to an added goal from England’s World Cup secretary, Nico O’Reilly.
How Arsenal lost at Wembley
Until this day, Mikel Arteta was unbeatable as a player and as a coach at Wembley. So, what we saw in the English capital on Sunday night was confusing.
Although the Gunners have not been the most relaxed team to watch in Europe this season, they have organized, organized and found a way to win.
This weekend was quite the opposite and while Arsenal started the game as the better team, forcing James Trafford into a string of three different saves, that was almost the same for Arteta and Co in the final third.
Truth be told, this was a story of two goalkeepers playing at the back. While Trafford kept City in it during the first change, Arsenal stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga made a crucial mistake that saw Guardiola’s men take the lead.
Kepa had started every game of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup run and was handed the gloves over David Raya. However, that decision came back to bite the Gunners.
It wouldn’t be easy to tell the former Chelsea man he wasn’t starting but this was another bad moment for the Spaniard in the League Cup final.
In 2019, the goalkeeper lost on penalties after refusing to be sent off. In 2022, he missed his penalty as Chelsea lost to Liverpool and in 2026 it was his fumble that led to O’Reilly’s opener.
The ball that went in from the right was aimed at the keeper but he failed to intercept the cross. It went over his head and into the path of the Man City defender who couldn’t miss a matter of yards out.
Kepa couldn’t do much about the second, another effort from O’Reilly but the damage was done by then. It was done again when Arsenal failed to click into gear when they came out in the second half.
Arsenal’s attack is faltering again
Only three teams in Europe’s five major leagues have scored 100 goals this season: Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Arsenal. So, to say they are the ‘boring’ Premier League team would be an overstatement. That being said, it is the opinion of many and after the team’s display at the home of football on Sunday, it has a point.
The second half was a disgrace for the team that won the medal, and the truth is that they do not look like a team that wants to end six years without being honored.
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Arsenal vs Man City player ratings |
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Kepa – 3/10 |
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Ben White – 4/10 |
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William Saliba – 7/10 |
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Gabriel Magalhaes – 7/10 |
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Piero Hincapie – 4/10 |
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Martin Zubimendi – 5/10 |
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Declan Rice – 5/10 |
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Watch Saka – 4/10 |
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Kai Havertz – 3/10 |
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Leandro Trossard – 4/10 |
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Viktor Gyokers – 4/10 |
When Kepa got in goal, the pitch and attack were incredibly different. Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi were fine in the middle of the park but they really missed Eberechi Eze or Martin Odegaard ahead of them.
Both players missed the final due to injury meaning Kai Havertz started 10th behind Viktor Gyokeres. Sadly, it didn’t work.
Both young players in Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard failed to get into the game but the German was reluctant to say the least, putting in perhaps one of his worst performances at the club since joining. When you consider how much struggle he endured just arriving, that’s saying something.
Havertz has been a key forward in years past but in that role behind Gyokeres, he struggled on Sunday. How different things would have been had the 26-year-old scored an early goal. Played on, he took too long to get his shot and the chance was blocked by Trafford.
More concerning, however, was Havertz’s inability to hold the ball up. Fans have lamented Gyokeres’ failure to do so all season and honestly, this has been the most Gyokeres-esque performance since the £65m signing.
The Germany international won one of his 10 medals, which was a stark contrast to his physical presence and reliable routine.
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Havertz in the Carabao Cup final |
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|---|---|
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Minutes played |
66 |
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To touch |
30 |
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Accurate passes |
10/18 (56%) |
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Shots |
2 |
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Shots on target |
1 |
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Successful dribbles |
0 |
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The property is lost |
12x |
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Key passes |
0 |
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Ground duels won |
1/6 |
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Aerial duels won |
0/4 |
He also completed 56% of his passes and had 12 turnovers in just 30 touches. With that kind of focus, the rest of Arsenal’s players never had a chance to come into the game and interact.
It also explains why the Gunners have found it difficult to break into the Man City press. They simply don’t have a player who can hold on to the ball in the final third. Gyokeres was very consistent, completing only three passes in his 90 minutes on the field and winning only two of 11 duels.
Together, they were very poor, but they were not alone. Kepa is guilty, as are the wing players. For a team that has been consistently consistent, it was surprising how they slipped back to defeat at Wembley. Should Eze return after the international break, you can expect Havertz to be left out of the squad again.
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