Manchester City's rising star scores twice with headers, backup goalkeeper secures clean sheet, 2-0 victory over Arsenal wins League Cup, Guardiola sets new record.

At 00:30 on March 23 Beijing time, the 2025-26 League Cup final kicked off at Wembley Stadium, Arsenal vs Manchester City!

In the first half, Trafford made three consecutive saves to protect the lead, Havertz missed a golden opportunity, both sides drew 0-0 at halftime; in the second half, Kepa's mistake in handling a high ball gifted a chance, O'Reilly headed in to break the deadlock, then O'Reilly received Nunes' lofted pass and scored another header to complete a brace, Arsenal failed to change the score.

Ultimately, Manchester City defeated Arsenal 2-0 to claim their first trophy of the season, Guardiola became the first coach to win the League Cup five times, setting a new record.

Arsenal vs Manchester City, Arteta deployed a 4231 formation, Jorgensen leading the attack, supported by Havertz behind, Saka and Trossard on the wings, Suárez and Rice partnering as midfield anchors, Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Incapie forming the four-man defense, Kepa as goalkeeper, starting lineup valued at 707 million euros;Guardiola deployed a 4141 formation, Haaland leading the attack, supported by Cherki and B. Silva behind, Doku and Semenyo on the wings, Rodri as the lone defensive midfielder, O'Reilly, Ake, Husanov, Nunes forming the four-man defense, Trafford as goalkeeper, starting lineup valued at 667 million euros..

Both teams used backup goalkeepers in the cup match, this encounter was evenly contested, Manchester City held possession advantage, but both sides had 10 shots each, with 3 scoring opportunities each, Arsenal's Havertz repeatedly proved poor finishing, failing to deliver; Manchester City showed Haaland tends to disappear in finals, managing only 2 shots throughout, with 0 on target, here is a notable statistic:Since joining Manchester City, Haaland has participated in 9 finals, scoring 0 goals and providing 0 assists.Guardiola's blind faith in Haaland will eventually lead to significant setbacks. Fortunately, Manchester City's rising star O'Reilly stepped up, as a versatile left-back scoring two headers to secure victory, including Kepa's mistake gifting a goal, Nunes' lofted pass providing the assist, Manchester City 2-0 Arsenal claimed their first trophy of the season, Guardiola has now won the League Cup five times since coaching Manchester City, becoming the first coach to achieve five League Cup titles, setting a new record.

Throughout the match,Manchester City's possession rate was 62%, they had 10 shots total, with 2 on target resulting in 2 goals; Arsenal had 10 shots with 4 on target..