Arsenal’s historic quest to win a quadruple is now complete and dusted. It felt like they headed to Wembley for the Carabao Cup final, only to forget to get off the bus and walk onto the hallowed turf under the arch.
Much is currently being said about Arsenal’s six-year trophy drought, but a 2-0 defeat under the lights in London means that drought will last at least until they have a chance to win the Premier League title in two months’ time.
For now, the Gunners still have the initiative to achieve that, but it remains to be seen how this defeat against Manchester City will affect them psychologically.
It was a seismic blow as Josep Guardiola’s side cruised to an extremely easy 2-0 win thanks to a brace from World Cup hopeful Nico O’Reilly.
How Arsenal suffered defeat at Wembley
Until this day, Mikel Arteta was unbeaten at Wembley, both as a player and as a coach. So what we saw in the British capital on Sunday night was quite disconcerting.
The Gunners may not have been heralded as the freest team in Europe this season, but they have been well-organized and have found ways to win.
This weekend was the exact opposite, with Arsenal starting the game as the better team and forcing three exceptional saves from James Trafford, which was about as good as Arteta and co’s good work in the final third.
Truth be told, this was a story about two backup goalies. Trafford defended City in the opening stages, but a big mistake from Arsenal stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga cost Guardiola’s side the lead.
Kepa started every game for Arsenal in the Carabao Cup and was handed the gloves by number one David Raya. But the decision stung for the Gunners.
It wasn’t easy telling the former Chelsea player he would not start, but it was yet another scary moment for the Spaniard in the League Cup final.
In 2019, the goalkeeper refused to come on as a substitute, resulting in a penalty shootout loss. In 2022, he missed a penalty as Chelsea lost to Liverpool, and in 2026, a fumble led to O’Reilly’s opening goal.
The ball from the right went straight to the keeper, but he was unable to catch the required cross. The ball went over his head and straight into the path of Manchester City’s left-back. He was impossible to miss from just a few yards away.
Kepa couldn’t do much about the second goal and O’Reilly’s other shot, but the damage was done in that moment. The same was true when Arsenal couldn’t get into gear going into the second half.
Arsenal’s attack stagnates again
Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Arsenal are the only teams to score 100 goals in Europe’s five major leagues this season. So to say they are the “boring” team in the Premier League would be an understatement. That said, this is the view of many, and after the club’s performance at the home of football on Sunday, they have a point.
The second half was embarrassing for a team aiming for a trophy, but to be honest, I don’t think they are a team that wants to go through six years without receiving major honors.
Arsenal vs Man City player ratings |
|---|
Kepa – 3/10 |
Ben White – 4/10 |
William Saliba – 7/10 |
Gabriel Magalhães – 7/10 |
Clown Hincapie – 4/10 |
Martin Zvimendi – 5/10 |
Declan Rice – 5/10 |
Bukayozaka – 4/10 |
Kai Havertz – 3/10 |
Leandro Trossard – 4/10 |
Victor Gokeres – 4/10 |
Kepa was brutal in goal, but the midfield and attack were incredibly disjointed. Declan Rice and Martin Zvimendi were perfectly fine in the middle of the park, but they really missed either Eberechi Eze or Martin Odegaard in front.
Kai Havertz started 10 places behind Victor Gokeres, as both players missed out on the final due to injury. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.
Wingers Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard didn’t feature much, but the German looked pathetic to say the least, putting in perhaps the club’s worst performance since joining. That’s saying something considering how much hardship he endured when he first arrived.
Havertz has been a great centre-forward in recent years, but he really struggled on Sunday in that role behind Gokeres. How much different things might have been if the 26-year-old had taken his chance to score early. Playing in, he took a little too long to get his shot on and his chance was denied by Trafford.
But the biggest concern was Havertz’s inability to hold onto the ball. Supporters have bemoaned Jokeles’ inability to do that all season, but let’s be honest this was a very Jokeles-esque performance for a £65m signing.
The German player won only one of his ten duels, which was extremely unnatural for such a physical and normally reliable figure.
Havertz in the Carabao Cup final | |
|---|---|
Play time (minutes) | 66 |
touch | 30 |
exact path | 10/18 (56%) |
shot | 2 |
shot on target | 1 |
dribbling success | 0 |
loss of ownership | 12 times |
key pass | 0 |
Won a ground duel | 1/6 |
won an aerial battle | 0/4 |
He also completed just 56% of his passes and lost the ball 12 times on just 30 touches. Thanks to such a focus, the rest of Arsenal’s front never had a chance to get into the game and link up with each other.
This also explains why the Gunners found it difficult to break through Man City’s press. They simply didn’t have the players to hold the ball in the final third. Same goes for Gokeres, who completed just three passes in 90 minutes on the field and won just two of his 11 encounters.
They were both very poor, but they were not alone. Like the winger, Kepa also has a responsibility. For a team that has been extremely stable, the way they lost at Wembley was unusual. If Eze returns after the international break, he will hope Havertz is left out of the squad again.
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