Freddie Ljungberg says Arsenal have risked giving Manchester City renewed hope in the Premier League title race with a potentially momentum-shifting showing in the Carabao Cup final.
Nico O’Reilly was the unlikely hero for City, scoring two headers to seal a comfortable 2-0 victory, and Arsenal offered very little by way of a response in what was a limp and uninspiring performance on the big stage.
The Gunners never got going in the second half and Pep Guardiola’s men were gifted their breakthrough on the hour-mark as Kepa Arrizabalaga spilled Rayan Cherki’s cross into the path of O’Reilly, who snuck in ahead of Martin Zubimendi and nodded home from close range.
Just four minutes later, City had a second and this time Matheus Nunes was the provider with a pinpoint ball from the right, with Kepa unable to get a glove to O’Reilly’s emphatic header from the edge of the six-yard box.
Mikel Arteta sent on Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus with a view to adding some added impetus, but the Premier League leaders come up short in their attempts to reduce the deficit.
The result ensured Arsenal finish runners-up in the League Cup for a record seventh time. City, by contrast, have made the trophy their own under Guardiola, lifting the prize for a fifth time under the Spaniard – and a ninth time in their history.
‘It’s a hard one to take,’ Arteta told reporters shortly after the final whistle.
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‘It’s very sad, especially for our players and our supporters because we know how much it means to them, and how much we want it.
‘The fact we haven’t managed to deliver that and obviously it’s disappointing.’
On his bold decision to start Kepa over established number one David Raya, Arteta replied: ‘I have to do what I think is right, and I think we have an understanding keeping on Kepa.
‘He played all the competition and I think it would have been very unfair to him and the team to do something different.
‘Errors are the power of football, and today, unfortunately, it happened at a crucial moment.’
Arsenal must lick their wounds and regroup ahead of their FA Cup quarter-final clash with Southampton after the upcoming international break.
In a crucial period, the Gunners then face Sporting in the Champions League quarter-finals, before returning to Premier League action at home to Bournemouth on April 11.
‘It is a blow. The talk of the town, that’s Arsenal. Arsenal are the new ones coming in,’ ex-Arsenal winger Ljungberg said of the Gunners’ setback at Wembley.
‘They are doing amazing in the Champions League, it was the quadruple, everything was going their way.
‘Manchester City had a Champions League run, they’ve been heavily criticised, but all of a sudden, they demolish Arsenal a little bit.’
The Swede added: ‘It was 2-0, they had the ball all the time and I think it’s going to be hard for them.
‘I think they feel they’re going to win the league but if you look at this here, they’re going to go to the Etihad and I would imagine City would be like, “We’ll take three points there!”
‘Of course there’s a break now but then they probably need to go clean [slate] because if City now gears up and goes clean…’
Fortunately for Arsenal, they still hold a nine-point advantage over City at the top of the Premier League table after Guardiola’s side were held to a 1-1 at West Ham last time out.
The top two meet again on April 19 at the Etihad, where Arsenal will have a shot at redemption and an opportunity to exact revenge for their Wembley disappointment.
Will Arsenal go on and win the Premier League title?
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Yes
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No
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