Man City defeat Arsenal in League Cup final as O’Reilly bags brace

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Manchester City’s Norwegian striker #09 Erling Haaland holds the trophy as City players celebrate after the English League Cup final football match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in London on March 22, 2026. City won the game 2-0. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /

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Nico O’Reilly savoured a weekend to remember after the Manchester City defender’s double sealed a 2-0 win over Arsenal in the League Cup final on Sunday — just 24 hours after his birthday.

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O’Reilly turned 21 on Saturday and followed his birthday celebration with a man of the match performance at Wembley.

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The left-back punished a mistake from Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to open the scoring with a close-range header on the hour.

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And O’Reilly struck again with another header four minutes later to give City their ninth League Cup triumph.

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“Unbelievable feeling. To win a final, to beat this team we know how good they are. We need to build on it, it will give us good momentum. Buzzing with today,” O’Reilly said.

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“Bit of disbelief seeing all the fans cheering like that when I scored those goals. Really a good feeling and a great birthday weekend.

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“My whole family came down today. They are all in the stand and I know they will be buzzing. I can’t wait to celebrate with them.”

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O’Reilly has been converted from a midfielder to a defender by Pep Guardiola since breaking into the City team.

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The England international said that familiarity with being in attacking positions allowed him to capitalise on Arsenal’s mistakes.

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“Since I was a kid I always played in midfield, I was always arriving in the box and scoring goals,” he said.

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“To bring it in at senior level and the highest level, it’s good for me and adds goals to my game. A great feeling.”

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