Manager surprised by City’s level after European exit
Mikel Arteta defends decision to play Kepa Arrizabalaga
A delighted Pep Guardiola admitted disbelief at Manchester City’s second-half dismantling of Arsenal in which Nico O’Reilly’s double claimed the Carabao Cup at Wembley.
With Sunday’s’s final goalless at half-time, O’Reilly’s headers in the 60th and 64th minutes gave City the season’s first trophy, a fifth League Cup of Guardiola’s tenure and the 16th major honour overall of his decade in charge.
The manager said: “Not even me gave one pound to the victory today. We could not win against Nottingham Forest home or West Ham away [in the Premier League], we lost 5-1 aggregate against Madrid [in the Champions League last 16]. But the players prove again – the old ones and especially the new ones – that when required to do something during a season in which we have not been consistent, today we achieved it.
