England full-back Nico O’Reilly netted twice in four second-half minutes to fire Manchester City to victory in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, blighting Arsenal’s attempt of a historic quadruple at the first hurdle.
It was a disappointing afternoon for stand-in Arsenal shot-stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga after he gifted City their first on the hour mark, fumbling Rayan Cherki’s cross to hand O’Reilly the simplest of finishes from close range.
Just four minutes later, O’Reilly doubled City’s advantage with another header inside the penalty box, placing Pep Guardiola’s side in full control over the Premier League leaders.
Daily Mail Sport‘s ISAAN KHAN and JACK GAUGHAN were at Wembley to rate the players’ performances as blue conquered red in the first major final of 2026.
Manchester City triumphed 2-0 over Arsenal to win the Carabao Cup final on Sunday afternoon
Nico O’Reilly scored twice in four second-half minutes to put his team in full control
Arsenal (4-2-3-1):
Kepa Arrizabalaga 3
The selection choice Mikel Arteta got wrong — and will regret for some time. An awful mistake on Rayan Cherki’s cross, dropping the ball for Nico O’Reilly to score his first, paved the way for the opposition.
Ben White 5.5
Started well but gradually faded in second period, which saw him unpicked by Jeremy Doku. Should have done better in marking for the second goal.
William Saliba 6.5
Stood up to the task of fending off Erling Haaland, often winning those tussles. This was a key match-up — and he kept strong to his credit.
Gabriel Magalhaes 6.5
Paired well with Saliba to initially deter the frontline. Enjoyed the physical battles and put in the tackles when needed.
Piero Hincapie 5.5
Got an early yellow card on 17 minutes and was subsequently on edge to fend off Antoine Semenyo. This arguably affected him.
Martin Zubimendi 5.5
Kept going for safe passes and was sloppy at times. Beaten by O’Reilly on his first goal. Not the presence he usually is.
Arsenal No 2 Kepa Arrizabalaga started the match but made a huge error to gift City their first
Declan Rice: 6.5
Snappy tackles in the middle and made an effort in trying to get the ball into attacking areas. A valiant effort on a big day.
Bukayo Saka: 5.5
Arsenal needed more from their star attacker. Came out the blocks quickly, before failing to make many real in-roads.
Kai Havertz 5.5
A physical presence in the final third but should have scored from his early shot and needed to create more.
Leandro Trossard 5.5
Wasn’t given room to make the runs he was looking for. A quiet display from the winger.
Viktor Gyokeres 6
Not much to feed off but kept looking to run through the channels and quick acceleration when he got the chance.
Substitutes –
Noni Madueke 6.5
Riccardo Calafiori 7
Gabriel Martinelli N/A
Gabriel Jesus N/A
Manager –
Mikel Arteta 5.5
His team went missing in a cup final. That is unforgivable. Starting Kepa proved fatal.
Arsenal needed more from Bukayo Saka (left), while Leandro Trossard (right) had a quiet day
Manchester City (4-2-3-1)
James Trafford 7.5
Stunning triple save early in the game will have done his confidence the world of good. Calm when pressed by Arsenal’s forwards.
Matheus Nunes 7.5
Defensively sound, although it seemed that Pep Guardiola wanted his right back to venture forward more often before a sublime cross for City’s second.
Abdukodir Khusanov 8
Unfortunate to pick up a booking and enjoyed the physical battle with Viktor Gyokeres. Deserves to keep his place after the international break.
Nathan Ake 8
In for the injured Ruben Dias, Ake made one huge last-ditch tackle to deny Gyokeres when the striker bore down on goal. Never broke sweat.
Nico O’Reilly 9
The lad knows where the net is. That’s one at the Bernabeu and a double at Wembley – all from left back. Terrific up against Bukayo Saka too. Only turned 21 on Saturday.
Bernardo Silva 8
Busy, annoying to the opposition. A classic Bernardo Silva display in that respect. Barely wasted a pass and function so others could flourish.
Rodri 8
Still some way to go before re-finding his best but is getting there. Nobody made more passes into the final third and he swept up nicely.
Bernardo Silva put in a trademark display as he proved a tricky customer for Arsenal to handle
Antoine Semenyo 7
A real threat to Piero Hincapie and often City’s best outlet on the right before the break. One particularly wicked cross for Erling Haaland. Faded a little.
Rayan Cherki 8
Showboating when juggling the ball mid-game drew a headshake from Pep Guardiola but is giving City extra dynamism and carries the ball so well.
Jeremy Doku 8
Became more of a livewire after the break and almost embarrassed Kepa. A number of his crosses were again not attacked with enough vigour. Drew fouls at important times.
Erling Haaland 6.5
Was not at the races in the first half at all. Different man afterwards, linking play well, standing up to physical battles. Couldn’t fault his work ethic.
Substitutes –
Phil Foden N/A
Manager –
Pep Guardiola 8
Clearly this meant so much to the manager, dancing up the touchline after the second goal. Went for it tactically in the same way as at Real Madrid and was vindicated.
