Rodri produced a midfield masterclass against Arsenal (Picture: Beanyman Sports)
Manchester City star Rodri hopes his side now have a major advantage of Arsenal in the Premier League title race following Sunday’s Carabao Cup triumph.
Pep Guardiola’s side claimed the first major prize of the season following a comprehensive 2-0 win over the Gunners at Wembley.
Victory represented a welcome boost for a variety of reasons, especially given City’s exit from the Champions League last week and consecutive draws in the league that have left them nine points adrift of Arsenal, albeit having played a game less.
After an evenly contested first half, City overpowered their opponents in the second period and were well worth the two goal lead they established with two quickfire Nico O’Reilly goals just past the hour mark.
Rodri, who dominated the midfield battle and was a constant thorn in Arsenal’s side, revealed he knew victory was on the cards at half-time with Mikel Arteta’s men struggling physically.
Asked what Pep Guardiola told his troops at the interview, Rodri said: ‘I think it was good a reassuring chat that we were doing things very well.
‘We adjusted a few things because I think we were doing very well in terms of pressing. It was more a question of personality and wanting to go for the game and not letting them off.
Your football fix
Metro’s Head of Sport James Goldman delivers punchy analysis, transfer talk and his take on the week’s biggest stories direct to your inbox every week.
Sign up here, it’s an open goal.
Arsenal 0-2 Man City – Metro at the Match
Manchester City have secured the first silverware of the season after Arsenal failed to deliver at Wembley.
The quadruple dream is over and the Gunners must now pick up the pieces after a sobering setback.
For City, it has breathed life into their campaign after a dismal Champions League exit this week.
@metrosportuk
Kepa won’t want to watch that one back 😬 Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final following a huge mistake from the Gunners’ goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, which lead to a quick brace from Nico O’Reilly. #kepa #arsenal #mancity #carabaocup #oreilly
♬ original sound – Metro Sport
Kepa gamble backfires spectacularly
Mikel Arteta decided to keep faith in Kepa Arrizabalaga after starting the Spaniard in each round of the competition leading up to the final at Wembley today.
Pep Guardiola did likewise with James Trafford, but it was Arsenal who paid the price for dropping one of their best players. From the moment the second-half kicked off, Kepa dallied on the ball, inviting the pressure that would inevitably swarm all over the Gunners and trigger their downfall.
Raya has been spectacular this season, the best goalkeeper in the Premier League by some margin and in sublime form. Had he started, Sunday may have been a very different story.
Arsenal still have plenty left to fight for (Picture: Getty)
Old Arsenal fears reignited
We have seen Arsenal collapse in the past. Past failures have so often been used as a stick to beat them with but things have felt different this season.
Victory today would have gone some way in erasing the lingering fears over another derailment . But defeat at Wembley could serve as a catalyst for something much bleaker.
Arteta got his biggest decision on the day wrong (Picture: Getty)
Arsenal are still fighting on three fronts, in control of the Premier League title race and well-placed to continue marching on in Europe. But the effects of today could be season-altering. The woeful second-half showing was as bad as anything served up by them this term on the stage where they needed to be their best.
O’Reilly steps up
City needed a hero at Wembley and they found a home-grown one. With Phil Foden only coming on as an injury time substitute, left-back O’Reilly stepped up as City’s savour with two headers to save their season.
City were fantastic in the second period to a man and fed off Arsenal’s apprehension but it was the 21-year-old set the standard when they needed inspiration.
Tony Mogan, live sports editor
‘They dropped off a bit physically and we detected it. We wanted to go for it and in the end you can tell when you get players in the area and you have that desire to score and Nico has shown the potential he is going to have.’
Whether City have inflicted any psychological scarring on a team that has looked destined to be crowned champions of England for the first time in 22 years remains to be seen.
City’s midfield linchpin, however, believes his side’s European elimination could end up representing a blessing in disguise.
Rodri won the midfield battle against Arsenal (Picture: Getty)
He said: ‘We knew today was a very important match, not only because of what the title means but also because of what it means to beat the team in best form.
‘It’s a game not only for this title but to show that we can beat them. There’s still a long way to go and it’s clear we didn’t want to get off the Champions League train.
‘We’ve been eliminated but we have to look at the positive side that we have more time to prepare for the matches.
‘That’s an incentive to take into account and we’ll fight until the end.’
Comment now
Comments
Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google
Add as preferred source
