Arsenal v Man City LIVE: City pushing arduous for essential breakthrough in Carabao Cup ultimate
Arsenal face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final as Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola’s rival sides compete for the first silverware of the season.
The Premier League title race will be put on pause as Arsenal bid to win their first major trophy since the 2020 FA Cup final, and what could also be the first of an unprecedented quadruple of major trophies. The Gunners are also nine points clear of City, while through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and Champions League.
Guardiola, meanwhile, will be bidding to win his first silverware since 2024 – having endured a trophyless campaign last year. City will need to recover from their Champions League exit against Real Madrid, but know that beating Arsenal in a Wembley final could act as a physiological blow ahead of the final stretch of the season.
Follow updates from Arsenal v Man City in the Carabao Cup final, below
Arsenal 0-0 Man City
City are certainly on top now. A gap opens up on the counter and Nunes slides in a perfect through ball for Haaland, who is now 1-v-1 with Saliba.
The City striker tries to turn him inside out to make space for a shot, but Saliba does well to nip in and divert it away.
Arsenal 0-0 Man City
Almost a chance for Cherki too, the Frenchman controlling it well in the area before his volley is blocked.
‘City’s best spell but Arsenal defensively flawless’
Richard Jolly with his latest from Wembley Stadium.
“This has been City’s best spell of the match and yet it has not produced a proper chance.
“The only mistake Arsenal have made defensively came from Kepa Arrizabalaga, which brought his booking for tugging back Jeremy Doku. Otherwise, they have been flawless.”
Arsenal 0-0 Man City
City have started the second half as the better of the two sides, and once again they’ve managed to sustain pressure early on.
Silva is at the forefront of things this time round, skipping past a few challenges before laying it to Doku, who sees his cross headed away.
City collect the ball from the clearance and Rodri lines up and effort from distance, but it’s blocked by a flying challenge.
Arsenal 0-0 Man City
Bizarre stuff from Kepa as he comes off his line to clear the long ball forward but opts to let it bounce and then loses out to Doku!
The pair tussle and it ends with City winning a free-kick right on the edge of the area on the left wing, and Kepa is booked for his efforts.
Nothing comes of the free-kick though, Semenyo firing wide past the far post.
‘The second half has to be better…’
More from Richard Jolly at Wembley.
“The good news is the second half has to be better. Surely, anyway… So far, this is not going down as one of the great League Cup finals. Or even one of the half-decent ones.”
Arsenal 0-0 Man City
A couple of openings for City! The first ends with a fairly poor cross to the back post but the second almost sees Haaland lash an effort from close range, but he can’t get clean contact on it under pressure from Gabriel.
KICK-OFF! Arsenal 0-0 Man City
Back underway in the second half of the Carabao Cup final!
HALF-TIME! Arsenal 0-0 Man City
Both sides are back out onto the pitch so we’ll be underway with the second half soon.
HALF-TIME! Arsenal 0-0 Man City
It’s finely balanced at Wembley after a cagey first half. There were chances at both ends – and Arsenal should really be ahead from that Havertz chance – but it wasn’t the most entertaining 45 minutes for the neutral.
Much of it has gone how you’d expect, with neither side wanting to commit too many men forward at this stage. The defences have certainly come out on top so far, but it can all ignite in a second when there’s this much quality on the pitch!
Plenty to ponder for both managers, and we could well see changes soon.
