Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City: Kepa Error and O’Reilly Double Deny Gunners in Carabao Cup Final

Arsenal’s first final since 2020 ended in disappointment as Manchester City beat Mikel Arteta’s side 2-0 at Wembley to lift the Carabao Cup. For an hour, this had been a tense and fairly even final, one in which Arsenal had enough moments to believe they could edge it. Then came the mistake that shifted everything. Kepa failed to deal with a City cross in the 60th minute, Nico O’Reilly reacted quickest to head in from close range, and the game turned sharply in Guardiola’s favour. Four minutes later, O’Reilly struck again with another header, this time from Matheus Nunes’ cross, to leave Arsenal chasing a final they never regained control of.

That sequence will dominate the post-match discussion, and understandably so. Arteta made the big call to keep faith with Kepa for the final rather than restore David Raya, but the goalkeeper’s error became the defining moment of the afternoon. The damage could have been even greater for Arsenal, because just before City opened the scoring Kepa had also survived a possible red-card incident after racing from his area and fouling Jeremy Doku, with the officials deciding it was not a clear goalscoring opportunity. Within moments, the game had slipped away from him and from Arsenal

There had been encouragement for Arsenal early on. Arteta’s side began with more purpose and carried some threat, particularly through Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard. Trossard hit the post in one of Arsenal’s better moments, while Riccardo Calafiori also went close with headers as the Gunners tried to turn pressure into a lead. But for all that early intent, they did not do enough to make City pay before the game settled into the slower, more controlled rhythm Guardiola’s side tend to prefer in finals.

That was the frustration for Arsenal. They were not blown away from the first whistle. They were in the game, they had moments, and they had the kind of platform that should at least have kept the final alive deep into the second half. Instead, once City went ahead, the contrast in composure was obvious. Guardiola’s team looked calmer, cleaner and more certain in the big moments, while Arsenal looked rattled by both the concession and the speed with which the second goal followed.

The standout individual was O’Reilly. The 21-year-old left-back scored both goals and became the decisive figure in a final that had lacked a clear attacking leader before his breakthrough. His first came through alertness and anticipation after Kepa’s mistake. His second, a powerful far-post header, effectively ended the contest and gave City the sort of cushion they were always likely to protect.

For Arsenal, that made the defeat harder to take because the game had turned on preventable moments rather than sustained domination. City deserved credit for the way they seized control once ahead, but Arsenal will know the final was still there to be won until their own error handed the initiative over.

The wider significance is obvious. Arsenal arrived at Wembley with a chance to land the first silverware of the season and give real substance to a campaign that still contains major possibilities elsewhere. Instead, they left with another near miss and another reminder that the final stages of cup competitions punish even brief lapses in judgment and execution.

There will now be scrutiny on Arteta’s team selection, on Kepa’s role in the result, and on whether Arsenal were ruthless enough when the game was still level. All of that is fair.

The basic truth, though, is simpler. Arsenal competed for an hour, made a costly mistake, then conceded again before they could recover. In a final against Manchester City, that was enough to lose the trophy.