City Watch: O'Reilly shines at Blues win at Wembley

Following their loss at home to Real Madrid last week, knocking them out of the Champions League, Manchester City faced arguably a tougher test against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup Final on Sunday.

The last time these two sides met at this stage of the League Cup was eight years ago, where City beat the Gunners by three goals to nil, winning Pep his first trophy at the club. 

Fast forward to 2026 and things look a lot different, with the Spanish manager collecting multiple domestic and European trophies.

The game felt more than just about winning a trophy; both sides have been going toe to toe this season in the title race, and it felt like this game could provide a mental edge for the winner heading into the final games. 

In previous seasons, we’ve seen Arsenal collapse towards the ‘business end’ of the season, not being able to cope with the relentless nature of how City finish off their campaigns.

So, with more on the line than just a trophy, what happened on Sunday? The first half was relatively cagey as you’d expect in a final, with the only clear cut chances going to Arsenal, forcing a triple save out of James Trafford, the backup keeper once again having a tremendous game.

Going into the second period, City just seemed to switch on, piling on the pressure and not allowing the Gunners any time on the ball. 

Everytime City lost possession, they’d have the ball back pretty much straight away and were there to attack.

Eventually, two goals in four minutes from one of our own, Nico O’Reilly, won the game for the Blues, handing Pep his 19th trophy in charge of City, and made him a record breaking five time winner of the Carabao Cup.

We were set up so tactically well on Sunday, and I don’t think there’s a single player that didn’t have a good game. 

When the line ups came up, some, including myself, would’ve been worried about Nathan Ake starting, given his injury troubles and his lack of starting recently. 

However, he and Khusanov were an incredible pairing at the back, keeping a clean sheet too.

Doku and Semenyo on the wings were also exceptional, with Rayan Cherki making a name for himself by doing kick ups at 2-0 up with the ball in play, causing a lot of controversy. 

Despite this, though, a win at Wembley just before the international break is exactly what we needed, and will hopefully provide a springboard for the remainder of the season.

After the break, City face Liverpool in the FA Cup, with the re-run of the Carabao Cup final taking place a few weeks later in the Premier League.