I genuinely did not think I’d be writing something like this. Not this season. Not after everything.
When I started covering City this year, it felt like every other week there was something new to be miserable about. The Real Madrid nightmare. The Premier League gap. A season that felt like it was slipping away match by match, and then Sunday happened.
Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-0 at Wembley and won the Carabao Cup. Let that sink in for a second.
The First Half Was Nervy, and That’s Fine
Look, the first 40 minutes were not pretty. Arsenal came into this as the most in-form team in England, chasing a historic quadruple, and they looked like it early on. There were moments where it genuinely felt like this could be that game, the one where everything unravels.
Trafford came up massive in those early minutes. Triple save, calm with his feet, absolutely solid when City needed him most. He doesn’t get enough credit for what he does when called upon, and Sunday was a reminder that City are lucky to have him as backup. The Same cannot be said about the opposition keeper but we will get to that later.
Then the second half started, and City were a completely different team.
That confidence in the buildup, that belief going forward, it just showed up from nowhere. And once City scored the first goal, something clicked. My biggest fear in that moment was that they’d sit back, defend the lead, let Arsenal back into it. That is exactly how you lose a final.
But they didn’t. The moment that first goal went in, City went hunting for the second one immediately. That mentality, that refusal to park the bus, that’s the Pep Guardiola fingerprint all over it.
Nico is Just Special.
Just How Good is this kid? Seriously.
The goal he scored, the composure, the timing. He has delivered in so many clutch moments this season, and Sunday was just the latest one. Pep has a habit of producing these players from seemingly nowhere, and Nico is the latest gem. You watch him, and it just feels like there’s so much more to come.
And then there was Cherki. That moment at the end where he kissed the badge. Goosebumps. Genuinely. A player who came in quietly, went through an injury, and has slowly started showing exactly why Pep wanted him. That badge kiss said everything about what this club means to the people who put on that shirt.
What This Win Actually Means? Is the Season Alive Now?
Yes, Arsenal called it a Mickey Mouse trophy when they lost. We’ve all heard it, and look, if City had lost, maybe some of us would have quietly agreed. But a trophy is a trophy. Pep Guardiola has now won this competition more times than any other manager at Wembley. That is not a Mickey Mouse record.
More than the silverware, though, this win matters because of the context. Coming off a Champions League exit to Real Madrid, with the Premier League title looking distant, this could have been a squad that packed it in mentally. Instead, they showed up at Wembley, beat the best team in England, and stopped a quadruple in its tracks.
That speaks to the mentality still inside this dressing room.
The Premier League gap is nine points with games running out. I’m not going to pretend that’s easy. But eight to ten points with seven or eight games left, I’ve watched enough football to know that isn’t over until it’s over. Especially if Arsenal are carrying this Wembley loss into their next run of fixtures.
City have the FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool in April as well. There is still football to play, and there is still something to play for.
Two weeks ago, this season felt like it was already written. Now it isn’t. And that alone is worth celebrating.
