Man City had a hometown hero at Wembley.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hailed EFL Cup final hero Nico O’Reilly as “maybe the signing of the season” after his double secured a 2-0 win over Arsenal at Wembley.
Guardiola’s men were the underdogs for the showpiece against a side they trail by nine points in the Premier League, but a superb second-half showing saw them claim a ninth EFL Cup crown.
Hometown star O’Reilly opened the scoring on the hour mark, stooping to nod in from point-blank range after Kepa Arrizabalaga had spilled an effort from Rayan Cherki.
Four minutes later, he headed in a second following excellent build-up play from Rodri and Matheus Nunes, and from there Arsenal rarely looked like mounting a fightback despite Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Jesus each hitting the woodwork.
The win sees Guardiola become the first manager to lift the trophy five times, surpassing Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Brian Clough in setting a new outright record.
O’Reilly Manchester City’s ‘signing of the season’
Guardiola revelled in a history-making end to a week that saw them emphatically dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, but reserved special praise for match-winner O’Reilly.
“What can I say? When you win a trophy is important. It was special because we had a tough two weeks,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.
“What they did in the Champions League is so difficult. In the first 15 minutes they suffocated us, we could not breathe. After that we won some second balls and started to play.
“I’m really pleased because Mikel created a team that is almost unbeatable. A fifth Carabao [EFL] Cup in 10 years is not bad. Every time you win a title it looks more difficult than in the past. it is really difficult for many reasons.”
City made a host of additions last summer to bolster their squad, while January addition Antoine Semenyo was key to their success in this competition.
But Guardiola suggested the breakthrough season of academy product O’Reilly, who has thrived at left-back and in midfield, has been more significant than any outside acquisitions.
“Maybe he was the signing of the season,” Guardiola added. “When we started the season we had a long conversation with him. He started to play at left-back and impressed a lot.
“He can play in many roles, he is a guy in the final third in a position he likes. He made two fantastic goals.”
City’s dominance in the second half could serve as a huge psychological boost for Guardiola’s men as they aim to claw back the nine-point deficit to Arsenal in the title race.
Arsenal have played a game more than City, who welcome the Gunners to the Etihad Stadium on April 19.
“I would love to be nine points in front to be honest. It’s in their hands,” Guardiola said of the title race.
“We need time, an incredible break. I am exhausted and after we see step by step.
“We are still not the team like Arsenal are or like we were in the past. We always found a way to win titles.”
