A local lad with a Manchester postcode etched on his arm delivered the decisive blow as Manchester City extinguished Arsenal’s quadruple ambitions at Wembley Stadium, producing a ruthless second-half display to claim the Carabao Cup.
Nico O’Reilly, another of Pep Guardiola’s tactical creations, was the unlikely matchwinner.
An attacker redeployed at full-back, O’Reilly has operated in six roles this season and arrived at the final with no reputation as a goalscorer. He left with a brace that turned the contest.
Arsenal began brightly, finding early joy against Guardiola’s bold 4-2-4 set-up, which again left City exposed in the opening exchanges.
A stunning triple save from James Trafford, handed another cup start, kept the Gunners at bay after a move that split City’s fragile rearguard.
Yet beyond set-pieces, Mikel Arteta’s side struggled to land the final pass, their momentum fading as the first half wore on.
City, short of Ruben Dias at centre-back, accepted the risks. Erling Haaland headed over the best first-half opening, before Guardiola’s men concluded that caution would not win the night.
What followed after the break was decisive. For 20 minutes, City poured forward in relentless waves, the best form of defence becoming constant attack.
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The surprise was the source of the breakthrough. A day after becoming legally able to drink in the United States (US), O’Reilly rose twice to meet crosses, his headers puncturing Arsenal’s previously near-impenetrable defence.
There was drama at the Arsenal end. Kepa Arrizabalaga, starting in goal, flirted with disaster when he brought down Jeremy Doku outside the area and escaped with a yellow.
On the hour, he then allowed Rayan Cherki’s cross to slip through his grasp, O’Reilly pouncing to open the scoring.
Four minutes later, a Matheus Nunes pick-out was met by the same man to settle the final.
Guardiola celebrated uncharacteristically, charging down the touchline in a release of pent-up energy.
It was his 22nd visit to Wembley in charge of City, a tally that dwarfs Jurgen Klopp’s five in the same period.
Arsenal hit the woodwork twice in a late push, Riccardo Calafiori clipping the base of the post and Gabriel Jesus heading against the bar, but the damage was done.
The league leaders will not allow one final to define their season, yet the greater meaning lay in who defeated them.