Man City Player Ratings vs. Arsenal: Hometown Hero Inspires Carabao Cup Triumph

Nico O’Reilly’s headed brace dashed the Gunners’ quadruple dream.

A Manchester City academy graduate stole the show at Wembley. | Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images

Manchester City ran out 2–0 victors in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final over Arsenal, courtesy of a second-half brace from academy graduate Nico O’Reilly.

The Citizens’ success at Wembley means they claimed their ninth League Cup trophy, and fifth under Pep Guardiola, who is now the most successful manager in this competition.

They’ll hope that the slaying of Premier League leaders Arsenal will energize their title charge after the international break, especially when you take into account the gulf between the two teams in the second half.

A tense, bitty affair was opened up by a supreme City spell that resulted in a pair of goals to stun a woeful Gunners outfit that shrank on the big stage. O’Reilly’s headed brace took the contest away from Mikel Arteta’s side, with City seeing out the final without much fuss.

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One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Pep Guardiola’s City turned the screw at the start of the second half. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

We may have veered into the business end of the 2025–26 season, yet nailing down not merely how good this Manchester City team is, but what this Manchester City team is has been hard to ascertain.

Guardiola’s side has undoubtedly evolved from its finest iterations: it’s more direct and vertical than ever before. After an action-bereft opening period on Sunday, it seemed as if one moment would decide the final.

However, the Citizens instead decided to throw things back. A Guardiola team hasn’t struggled for control in matches like this City outfit have since the Spaniard’s debut season in Manchester, but this group of players, for 20 minutes at the start of the second period, found something deep within.

It was vintage. It was familiar. Guardiola’s City at their absolute best, with a shriveling Arsenal succumbing to wave after wave of sky blue attacks. Their rest defense facilitated a sustainment of pressure that forced the Gunners to deepen, and they moved possession with just enough verve to pry open a previously impenetrable red and white wall.

Kepa Arrizabalaga’s butterfingers aided their cause, but O’Reilly’s brace was the reward for an utterly dominant period of soccer.

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Man City Player Ratings vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1)

Nico O’Reilly's quick-fire brace inspired the Cityzens. | Glyn KIRK/AFP/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: James Trafford—8.0: Guardiola retained his faith in the English goalkeeper, and Trafford quickly repaid the Spaniard’s faith by producing an excellent triple save early on.

RB: Matheus Nunes—8.6: The right back popped up with a couple of notable interventions that prevented Arsenal from breaking, allowing his team to sustain pressure. Never tested by the anonymous Leandro Trossard.

CB: Abdukodir Khusanov—7.4: The bruising Viktor Gyökeres got no change out of the rapid Uzbek, with Khusanov defending impressively for the most part despite picking up a booking.

CB: Nathan Aké—7.7: Had his issues in the air against Kai Havertz, and it looked like Arsenal were going to have some joy by targeting the Dutchman. Aké settled, though.

LB: Nico O’Reilly—9.1: Hometown hero. This will be remembered as his cup final.

CM: Rodri—7.6: Rodri has understandably struggled to reach his Ballon d’Or heights post-ACL recovery, but City’s holding midfielder ventured into ’flow state’ at the start of the second half. For a while, it was 2023–24 again.

CM: Bernardo Silva (c)—7.6: Desperate to atone for his midweek dismissal, City’s captain was a major contributor in all phases. He wasn’t going to lose this cup final.

RW: Antoine Semenyo—7.2: The brightest spark of a rather lame opening period, Semenyo dominated his duel with Piero Hincapié but was quieter after the restart.

AM: Rayan Cherki—7.2: The kick-ups in front of Ben White with 20 minutes remaining divided opinion, but Cherki was having fun out there. Ball manipulation was stellar as per usual, with his threat ominous and exciting throughout.

LW: Jérémy Doku—8.0: Took a while to get into the game, with Arsenal making a concerted effort to ensure he didn’t dominate. Had his way with Ben White in the second half.

ST: Erling Haaland—6.4: A pretty clumsy performance from Haaland, who was harassed throughout, and Arsenal’s ploys certainly unshackled him.

SUB: Phil Foden (90’ for Cherki)—N/A

Subs not used: Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK), John Stones, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Rico Lewis, Mateo Kovačić, Savinho, Nico González, Omar Marmoush, Tijjani Reijnders.

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Matheus Nunes’ performance will go under the radar. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

• Pep Guardiola said back in October that Matheus Nunes could become an “incredible” right back. It may have seemed rather optimistic at the time, but the Portuguese is continuing to prove that his manager was onto something. Nico O’Reilly will dominate the headlines, but Nunes, a converted midfielder, deserves plenty of plaudits for a measured performance that boasted bite and final third quality.
• Rayan Cherki’s showboating earned criticism from Gary Neville, with supposed confidence drifting into arrogance. That’s not what Cherki’s about, though. This is a soccer player with an insatiable desire to entertain in an age where so few are encouraged or able to do so. His performance on the big stage proves that there’s plenty of substance to the style, too.
• While Arsenal’s No. 2 floundered, Gianluigi Donnarumma’s deputy rose to the occasion. James Trafford wasn’t particularly busy, but the final could’ve played out a whole lot differently had he not made that superb triple save at the start of the game.

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The Numbers That Explain Man City’s Second-Hald Showcase

Man City turned it on after half-time. | Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images

• Man City failed to register a single shot on target in the first half, all while notching an xG haul of just 0.33.
• Pep Guardiola’s side dominated possession against an Arsenal team that were willing to soak up pressure and play direct. City ended the game with a 62% share of the ball.
• City ended the final with a 1.60 xG haul, with Nico O’Reilly’s headers making up 0.73 of their total. They also limited Arsenal to a mere 0.62 xG.
• Reducing Arsenal to just three corners was key to their success, given the Gunners’ proficiency from dead-ball situations.

Statistic	Arsenal	Man City
Possession	38%	62%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.62	1.60
Total Shots	10	10
Shots on Target	4	2
Big Chances	3	3
Passing Accuracy	78%	87%
Fouls Committed	12	10
Corners	3	3

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