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| Manchester City wins the 2025/26 EFL Cup after beating Arsenal 2-0. Nico O'Reilly scores twice to lead The Citizens to victory. |
London – Manchester City have officially claimed the 2025/26 EFL Cup (Carabao Cup) after defeating Arsenal 2-0 at Wembley Stadium, London, early Monday morning WIB. Young talent Nico O'Reilly starred in the final, scoring both decisive goals in the second half.
This marks Manchester City’s ninth EFL Cup victory and the fifth under coach Pep Guardiola, according to the official EFL website. City is now just one trophy away from matching Liverpool, the club with the most EFL Cup wins.
The match started at a high tempo. Arsenal dominated the opening 15 minutes and almost took the lead in the 7th minute through Kai Havertz, but City goalkeeper James Trafford produced brilliant saves to deny both Havertz and Bukayo Saka.
City began pressing around the 20th minute, with striker Erling Haaland missing a clear opportunity. The first half ended goalless.
In the second half, both teams played more cautiously but continued attacking. O'Reilly broke the deadlock in the 60th minute, capitalizing on a rebound from a cross by Rayan Cherki that goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga failed to clear. Four minutes later, O'Reilly doubled City’s lead with a header from a cross by Matheus Nunes.
O'Reilly became the third youngest player to score two goals in an EFL Cup final, following Wayne Rooney and Ronnie Whelan.
Arsenal tried to fight back, with Riccardo Calafiori hitting the post in the 78th minute, but their efforts proved futile. Substitutions like Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus also failed to change the score.
When the final whistle blew, Manchester City had secured a 2-0 victory over Arsenal. City lifted the EFL Cup trophy, while Arsenal’s hope for a domestic treble ended.
Lineups:
Arsenal: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Piero Hincapie; Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard; Viktor Gyokeres
Manchester City: James Trafford; Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nathan Ake, Nico O’Reilly; Rodri; Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Bernardo Silva, Jeremy Doku; Erling Haaland
