O’Reilly upsets Arsenal to give Manchester City the 2026 EFL Cup title: Highlights and goals (0-2)
Manchester City won the 2026 EFL Cup final against Arsenal with two goals from Nico O'Reilly at Wembley. Find every highlight and catch all the goals as they happened.
Manchester City beat Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in the 2026 EFL Cup Final. Nico O’Reilly was the main character for the Citizens to win a new title.
Despite diverging paths in the Premier League and European competition, the North London side and the reigning champions met with a singular focus: securing the first marquee trophy of the English calendar.
In the end, the Gunners weren’t able to beat Guardiola and his team, leaving uncertainty regarding the future events in England and Europe. Find the highlights, and every goal as it happened.
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Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-0 in the 2026 EFL Cup, and you lived every moment of this thrilling match here on Bolavip.
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94' - MANCHESTER CITY ARE THE 2026 EFL CUP CHAMPIONS! (0-2)
With two goals of Nico O'Reilly, Pep Guardiola's men became champions of the 2026 EFL Cup.
92' - Manchester City keep the right job in the defense (0-2)
With Arsenal trying hard to break their defense, Manchester City are showing that they don't want to let the Gunners to score at least one goal in this final.
90' - Additional time (0-2)
Referee Bankes adds four minutes.
88' - ARSENAL HIT THE POST (0-2)
With a great header from Gabriel Jesus that hit the post, Arsenal created the first chance to score in the second half.
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87' - Arsenal are stealing the ball (0-2)
With just few minutes left to play, Arsenal are trying hard to steal the ball from Manchester City players, and they are getting it.
85' - City are closer to the third goal than Arsenal to score their first one (0-2)
Guardiola's squad is keeping the ball as far as they can from their area and now they are getting confident on winning this EFL Cup final.
82' - Arsenal can't steal the ball from City (0-2)
As City are playing hard to keep the ball, Arsenal are not able to create dangerous situations in City's goal.
80' - It doesn't seem like Arsenal can tie the game (0-2)
With City not giving the ball away, Arsenal are in a pretty difficult situation and doesn't seem they are going to get out of it.
78' - BIG CHANCE FOR CALAFIORI (0-2)
With his left foot, Calafiori almost scored the first goal for Arsenal, but the ball went wide.
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77' - Arsenal are now confused (0-2)
Despite Madueke's substitution for Arsenal, the team doesn't seem right and other key figures are expecting to enter, like Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.
75' - City control the match (0-2)
After 75 minutes, we have finally found the team that controls the game. Manchester City are confusing Arsenal with their passes and dominate the EFL Cup final.
73' - Madueke is creating dangerous attacks for Arsenal (0-2)
With his speed and agility to dribble, City's defense is in big trouble. Free kick for Arsenal.
70' - Madueke and Calafiori entered to the field for Arsenal (0-2)
With the score against them, Arteta decided to substitute Hincapie and Havertz to let Calafiori and Madueke play in the offense.
68' - Arsenal are trying, but City remain confident (0-2)
With these two goals, City are controlling the matchup while Arsenal are trying to find a space to break the midfielders line to create a chance to score.
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64' - O'REILLY SCORES AGAIN! (0-2)
With a two goals, O'Reilly is becoming the hero of the game for Manchester City.
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60' - O'REILLY SCORES (0-1)
After plenty of attempts to send the ball into Arsenal's area, finally Manchester City achieved and O'Reilly scored the first goal of the match.
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57' - Arsenal's intensity decreased (0-0)
With just looking at the ball, but not taking it, Arsenal haven't create dangerous attacks in the second half. City get confident on the field.
55' - Ryan Cherki appears for Manchester (0-0)
One of the names that Guardiola count on his roster is Ryan Cherki, the French international have created plenty of dangerous attacks in Arsenal's side.
53' - The match don't have a superior team (0-0)
Despite City's dangerous attacks, Arsenal also have on their mind the counter attack, but neither the Gunners or the Citizens seemed to be dominating the game.
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51' - Arsenal's goalkeeper sees the yellow card (0-0)
With an error outside Arsenal's area, Kepa almost let Manchester City to score, but made a foul and saw the yellow card. Free kick for City.
50' - Arsenal is being pressed by City (0-0)
Haaland is trying hard to find a space in the area to make the right shoot to score, while Arsenal are just defending right now. However, they won a corner kick that didn't create a chance.
47' - Manchester City take the ball possession (0-0)
With short passes and expanding their lines in the defense and in the attack, Manchester wants to break Arsenal's defense in the first part of the second half.
45' - Second half underway (0-0)
Without substitutions, Arsenal and Manchester City start the second half.
First half's statistics
After an intense, but scoreless first half, these are the main stats from the first half between Arsenal and Manchester City:
Possession: (Ars) 41% (City)59% Shots (On Target): Arsenal - 4 (3) City - 3 (0) Corners; Arsenal - 2 City - 1 Fouls Committed: Arsenal - 5 City - 6 Yellow Cards: 1 (Hincapie-Ars) 1 (Khusanov-City)
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45 + 1' - First half ends (0-0)
Despite their great efforts in the first half, Arsenal and Manchester City will define the champions of the EFL Cup in the second half.
45' - Additional time (0-0)
Referee Banks adds one minute in the first half.
43' - Arsenal are defending the attacks from Manchester City (0-0)
Despite not having the ball so much in the last couple of minutes, Arsenal have been able to contend the attacks from the City players.
40' - Manchester City are sending the ball to the area, but without success (0-0)
With Haaland as the cornerstone in the offense, Doku and Semenyo are looking for the Norwegian player to score the first goal of the match.
38' - Arsenal are trying with corner kicks (0-0)
As the Gunners have a great capacity in the air play, they are trying to connect with corner kicks in Trafford's area.
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36' - City try to pass the ball to Haaland in the area (0-0)
As their main reference in the attack, Manchester City players are looking to pass the ball to Haalend in the last quarter of the field. However, Arsenal's defense have been outstandingly so far.
34' - Arsenal are pressing again (0-0)
After they were pressing in the first couple of minutes of the game, Arsenal are trying again, in order to break City's defense, but without success so far.
32' - Still goalless, but with pretty much fouls and yellow cards (0-0)
With 10 fouls and two yellow cards one for each team (Hincapie and Khusanov), the match is getting intense.
30' - Manchester turns the game into their favor (0-0)
With a corner kick and using Semenyo and Doku for each wing, City want to score the first goal of the game. Arsenal are just waiting for the right moment to counter attack Manchester's defense.
27' - City's intensity is getting paid (0-0)
Despite they haven't scored yet, Manchester is playing more with the ball on their foot, and are creating dangerous attacks.
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25' - Arsenal seem more confident (0-0)
Not only with the ball possession but with the best options so far in the first half, Arsenal are showing that they want this title so badly.
24' - Manchester City start to break Arsenal's defense (0-0)
With their wings, Guardiola's team are trying hard to break the solid defense of Arsenal that now wait for the attacks and when they recover the ball, they try to attack.
22' - Fouls are increasing (0-0)
In just 22 minutes in the first half, both teams have committed four fouls, eight in total.
20' - Doku is trying hard for City (0-0)
Currently, Manchester City are relying on Doku to create options for his team, as he achieved the first corner kick for Manchester in the game.
17' - City can't leave their area easily (0-0)
Saka, Ben White and Gyokeres are pressing the exit from Manchester's players and achieve free kicks to their area.
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15' - Arsenal are the team controlling the ball possession (0-0)
With 51%, Arsenal are winning the ball possession, but a clear foul from Piero Hincapie changed things for the team, as is the first player with a yellow card in the EFL Cup final.
14' - Arsenal have almost all their players on City's area (0-0)
While Arsenal are pressing in the offense to create goal chances, City just defend and wait for the counter attack.
12' - Arsenal win a free kick from the right side (0-0)
Saka fall after being fouled by O'Reilly and Arsenal shoot the first free kick in the matchup, and the ball ended up in a corner kick.
10' - City seemed confused on the field (0-0)
As the ball were from Arsenal in the last couple of minutes, Pep Guardiola's team seemed confused to create opportunities in the goal protected by Kepa.
7' - TRIPLE SAVED BY TRAFFORD! (0-0)
Arsenal had a triple shoot in the area with Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka that were saved outstandingly by Trafford.
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5' - Arsenal have stepped in on City's area (0-0)
With two clear runs from Gyokeres, Arsenal are getting closer to Manchester's area and creating dangerous movements.
4' - Arsenal are taking a risk (0-0)
In order to find spaces in City's defense, Arsenal are taking the ball possession on their area, and Manchester is pressing with their offensive and fast players.
2' - Manchester City take the ball (0-0)
The Citizens now that one of the ways to control Arsenal is not giving up on the ball, that's why they are taking possession of it. Arsenal will take advantage of the counter attacks, one of the tools from Mikel Arteta.
0' - Game is underway! (0-0)
Arsenal and Manchester City start the first half at Wembley in the EFL Cup final.
Teams take the field
Arsenal and Manchester City are now on the field as the pregame protocol gets underway at Wembley Stadium.
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Today's venue
With a capacity of 90,000, Wembley Stadium stands ready to host the EFL Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester City. Every seat in the house is undercover, boasting completely unobstructed sightlines for one of the most anticipated fixtures on the calendar.
The stadium is defined by its iconic arch. Standing 133 meters tall with a 315-meter span, it is the world’s longest single-span roof structure. More than just an architectural flex, the arch supports the entire north roof and 60% of the south roof—a feat of engineering that eliminates the need for internal pillars and ensures every fan has a clear view of the pitch.
The 115 x 74-yard playing surface features a Desso GrassMaster hybrid system. By weaving synthetic fibers into natural grass, the pitch is built to endure a grueling schedule that spans elite football, NFL International Series games, and major concert tours without sacrificing playability.
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H2H in EFL Cup finals for Arsenal and City
Manchester City and Arsenal will square off with the EFL Cup trophy on the line. While both clubs are domestic giants, this marks their second encounter in a League Cup final.
The stakes couldn't be higher, though the shadow of their 2018 Wembley meeting looms large. In that League Cup showcase, Pep Guardiola’s side dominated in a 3-0 clinical finish over Arsene Wenger’s Gunners, a result that signaled a changing of the guard in English football. Now, with a new era of talent on the pitch, the North London side looks to flip the script and secure silverware against the reigning juggernauts of Manchester.
Absences confirmed in both teams
Following the release of today's official starting XIs, both sides will be forced to navigate the EFL Cup final without several key fixtures.
Manchester City have officially unveiled its starting lineup for today’s high-stakes EFL Cup final showdown against Arsenal. Star striker Erling Haaland will spearhead the attack as City looks to hoist the first major English trophy of the season.
City lineup: Trafford J. (G); Nunes M., Khusanov A., Ake N., O'Reilly N.; Rodri, Cherki R., Silva B. (C); Doku J., Semenyo A., Haaland E.
Arsenal's confirmed lineup
Arsenal have officially announced their starting XI for today’s decisive EFL Cup final clash against Manchester City. Victor Gyokeres leads the attack as they look to secure the first major title in England this season.
Arsenal lineup: Arrizabalaga K. (G); White B., Saliba W., Gabriel, Hincapie P.; Zubimendi M., Rice D., Havertz K.; Saka B., Trossard L., Gyokeres V.
Both teams would need to fight every ball in order to become champions, before the overtime and possibly the penalty shoot-out happen. We are about to follow a game that could created plenty of emotions.
Start time and how to watch
Arsenal vs Manchester City will get underway at 12:30 PM ET (PT: 9:30 AM)
Arsenal and Manchester City clash in 2026 EFL Cup final
Welcome to our live coverage of a massive afternoon at Wembley Stadium. It’s a true heavyweight showdown as Arsenal and Manchester City square off with everything on the line.
Stick with us for tactical breakdowns, and ball-by-ball updates as the Premier League’s two titans take center stage in London.
Santiago Tovar is a bilingual sports journalist who joined Bolavip US in 2024. With over seven years of experience, he has covered a diverse range of sports, including soccer, NFL, NBA, tennis, and Formula 1. Santiago has provided real-time coverage of major events such as the 2021 Women's Copa America, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, and the Davis Cup qualifiers. Before joining Bolavip US, he worked at Kienyke.com and Redmas.com.co, where he developed strategies to highlight key sports moments across websites and social media platforms.