Arsenal vs. Man City live score: Carabao Cup final result, updates, stats as O’Reilly double puts Guardiola on brink of glory

Arsenal vs. Man City live score: Carabao Cup final result, updates, stats as O’Reilly double puts Guardiola on brink of glory originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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• Arsenal vs. Man City team news and lineups

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Arsenal and Manchester City played out a cagey goallless first half in the 2026 Carabao Cup final.

Premier League leaders Arsenal started on top and City goalkeeper James Trafford smartly denied Kai Havertz before producing a double save to thwart Bukayo Saka on the follow-up.

It was a physical, attrition affair at times, with Gunners full-back Piero Hincapie and City centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov each booked for agricultural challenges.

City gradually managed to get their ball-players and wingers into the game and Erling Haaland should arguably have done better from a couple of right-wing deliveries as Antoine Semenyo found the cautioned Hincapie to his liking.

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The Sporting News is following the Carabao Cup final live, providing score updates and commentary

Arsenal vs. Man City score

Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
Referee: Peter Bankes

Starting lineups:

Arsenal (4-2-3-1 right to left): 13.Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK) – 4. Ben White, 6. Gabriel, 2. William Saliba, 5. Piero Hincapie – 36. Martin Zubimendi, 41. Declan Rice – 7. Bukayo Saka, 29. Kai Havertz, 19. Leandro Trossard – 14. Viktor Gyokeres

Man City (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. James Trafford (GK) – 27. Matheus Nunes, 45. Abdukodir Khusanov, 6. Nathan Ake, 33. Nico O’Reilly – 20. Bernardo Silva, 16. Rodri – 42. Antoine Semenyo, 10. Rayan Cherki, 11. Jeremy Doku – 9. Erling Haaland

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MORE: Arsenal vs. Man City head to head, all-time results, cup finals, trophies won and more

Arsenal vs. Man City Carabao Cup final live updates, highlights, and commentary

88 mins: Deep cross and it’s headed actos the top of the crossbar! Gyokeres down in a head following the rebound, no penalty.

86 mins: A few Arsenal fans have already headed for the exits as their team continue to probe. More unusually slack play from Rodri and Calafiori will get to aim a long throw. Doku punts it clear.

82 mins: Double change for Arsenal, effectively the last roll of the dice. Martinelli and former City striker Jesus on for Trossard and White. That’s a switch to a back three and another man in the forward line from Arteta.

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80 mins: Cherki nonchalantly down the right wing, killing the clock. Rodri boots a simple pass out for a throw. That’s sloppy in a game where an Arsenal goal could still change the entire complexion.

78 mins: Ohhhhh, that’s the closest Arsenal have come! Calafiori fires a half-volley towards the bottom corner, a stretching Trossard looks like he gets a stud on it but it’s goes agonisingly wide.

75 mins; Cherki with mesmerising close control, into the Arsenal box. He can’t find Haaland with the cutback.

73 mins: Madueke darts in off the right flank and wins a free-kick. Arsenal need something to happen soon. Rice delivery, Calafiori gets on the end of it but Trafford’s positioning is on point.

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69 mins: White into the book. Some after with Bernardo too, the arch provocateur.

66 mins: Double change for Arsenal. Madueke replaces Havertz and Calafiori closes the stable door after the Hincapie horse has bolted halfway down Wembley Way.

64 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!! Nico O’Reilly!!!!!!!!

There he is again, good heavens this boy is a superstar. City attack Arsenal’s pourous left flank again – why is Hincapie still out there. Nunes dinks to O’Reilly at the far post and the boyhood City fan scores his second of the final.

60 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!! Nico O’Reilly!!!!!!!!

Oh Kepa, oh dear! City lead after Cherki dinks across that the Arsenal goalkeeper allows to slip through his gloves. O’Reilly stoops to head home.

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60 mins: If you want an idea of how far City are pushing Arsenal back, Haaland just went up for a header and Nathan Ake was charging into the box for the second ball.

59 mins: Haaland with a chance to stretch his legs. Saliba closes the door imperiously but the City No. 9 has to do better.

58 mins: Cherki the latest player to have a sliding red and white limb in the way of a shot. Nunes wins it back and City go again.

57 mins: Semenyo sizes up Hincapie, who honestly can’t be much longer for this game, and clumps a shot wide left-footed. That feels like a waste. City are having their best spell of the game and you sense they have to make it count. Arsenal defending superbly, it must be said.

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55 mins: Silva gets into a mazy run. Oh, why hasn’t he had a shot? Doku swings it over towards Haaland, Cherki tries to get some space and sets it back to Rodri, whose drive is blocked.

52 mins: Semenyo, perhaps trying to capitalise on a scrambled Kepa, takes on the shot and clears the crossbar by some distance. Guardiola wears a pained expression but I can see the logic.

50 mins: Haaland tries to burrow through Arsenal’s triple-embossed lock to no avail. Arsenal go up the other end and win a corner as Havertz’s shot hits Khusanov. It looked like it hit the Arsenal man last. Anyway, City clear. Oh drama here…. Nunes hits a big switch to Doku, Kepa comes haring out and grabs the Belgian on the left-hand edge of the box. Yellow card. City are fuming and want a red. There were plenty of covering defenders but, yikes, that was wild from Kepa.

48 mins: Similar pattern to the end of the first half right now as Nunes scoots down the right on the overlap and curls a cross over the goalmouth.

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Kickoff: 2nd Half

Silva gets us back underway No changes for either side just yet. If the first half is anything to go by, game-breakers from the bench might be key.

Halftime

There we are then, 45 intriguing, high-tension minutes that could not produce a goal. Arsenal started strongly and Trafford denied Havertz and Saka in quick succession. But City managed to get Cherki and Doku on the ball more often as the match went on and they finished the half on top. Chances remained at a premium, though.

44 mins: There’s the chance! Semenyo gets around Huncapie, who you feel might get a sit-down at the break, and Haaland is at the back post. He’s under pressure from White and Gabriel and can’t get up for a clean contact.

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42 mins: Doku wins another City corner that doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. But Guardiola’s men managed to keep their opponents penned in. Arsenal remain incredibly resolute.

40 mins: Semenyo aims a cross to the back post. Haaland is a big man but he’s not one of those novetly inflatables you find outside gas stations, so he won’t be getting to that.

38 mins: Deep to the back post, which in itself feels like a mini-win for City, where Hincapie heads over. Interestingly (it’s 0-0, let’s go with it) City are staying completely zonal for defensive corners and more or less ignoring the cluster of Arsenal players at the far post until they come into their zones. Seems to be working so far.

37 mins: O’Reilly stands Saka up well at the expense of a corner. Surely they’ll get one on the money soon…

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35 mins: City attack with Doku down the left. Silva with something in between a cross and shot. Hapapand can’t get to it. Rice does superbly to read the second ball and then avert the danger under pressure.

33 mins: It’s a fine ball but Nunes clears well at the near post. City are still reorganising their line and Arsenal go again. Ake does well to thwart Gyokeres. Long throw coming up. No dice.

32 mins: Khusanov! Slides into and through Gyokeres. Well, if you’re going to get booked. Rice will swing one it.

31 mins: City look to bundle through the middle of Arsenal. Haaland, with his limbs all apparently going in different directions. Can’t make it stick.

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29 mins: Arteta’s men clear. Silva cheap-shots Trossard in midfield and then acts like butter wouldn’t melt.

28 mins: Decent spell this for City. Semenyo get the better of Hincapie, who has to be careful now, and wins a corner.

26 mins: Some patient work off the ball from City rewarded as Arsenal turn it over to Silva. Haaland lays it to Semenyo into the box but his touch is heavy and he can’t get a shot away.

21 mins: Kepa claims Cherki’s corner with the minimum of fuss. Havertz looking to break through the middle, Khusanov munches into the tackle (see pre-kickoff post).

20 mins: A bit dicey, but Cherki and Silva get to a could of 50/50s inside their own half and it lets Semenyo motor forward. His cross from the right is just ahead of of Haaland. Doku picks up the pieces and wins a corner.

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19 mins: City scrambling after Saka but eventually manage to close the door. Semenyo looks to dribble forward on the couhnter but is fouled. Cherki looked like he knocked knees with Saka there, but seems fine.

16 mins: Silva and Trossard get involved in some nonsense. They both love that sort of caper. Apparently inspired, Hincapie flies on late on Nunes and deservedly collects the afternoon’s first booking.

13 mins: Bit of an anti-climax as O’Reilly glances Saka’s delivery clear at the near post. Arsenal keep the pressure on, though and Rice will launch a long throw. That’s also cleared at the near post.

12 mins: Rice’s delivery is cleared by Khusanov as far as Trossard, whose shot is deflected. Despite Silva’s best efforts, it’s Arsenal’s first corner of the afternoon.

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11 mins: O’Reilly leaves Saka in a heap and Arsenal get chance to flex their set piece muscle.

10 mins: Ball flipped into the Arsenal box but Haaland is all over Gabriel and it’s a free-kick. The Gunners look to turn City around and Ake make a vital block on a through-ball

7 mins: A triple save from James Trafford! Havertz with the first chance of the final for Arsneal after Rodri loses a 50/50 to White. Saka is first to the rebound. but the City goalkeeper also thwarts him twice. Sharp work and it needed to be.

4 mins: Gyokeres gets the better of Ake down the right channel. He cuts a bouncing ball back, with Havertz arriving. But the Germany international boots Khusanov and not the ball, so that’s a free-kick.

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2 mins: A cacophany of about seven consecutive tackles. We’ve got our football back! Arsenal emerge with the ball, Gyokeres runs in behind City but he’s offside.

Kickoff: 1st Half

Declan Rice gets us underway. it’s absolutely crackling in here. The opening exchanges could be spicy. Long ball forward and Rodri is clobbered in mid air. Good afternoon!

5 mins before kickoff: The teams are out. It’s loud from the Arsenal end. They sense this is their day. City fans seem apprehensive by comparison. It’s funny what decades deep emotional muscle memory does on days like today. We’ll have the national anthem and then we’re underway.