Sports
Vincent Kompany leads Blues to Carabao Cup glory at Wembley
Manchester City hammered Arsenal at Wembley to lift the Carabao Cup.
Goals from Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva fired City to the first trophy of the Pep Guardiola era in a one-sided Wembley final.
Aguero pounced on some poor defending from Shkodran Mustafi to lob City into an 18th minute lead.
And captain Kompany all but sealed City’s win when he diverted in Ilkay Gundogan’ scuffed shot in the 58th minute to make it 2-0.
But City weren’t finished and grabbed a third seven minutes later when Silva spun onto Danilo’s pass and smashed the ball past David Ospina to make it 3-0.
1.Route one to silverware
Think of all the goals Manchester City have scored this season – there have now been 116 of them – and all the fantasy football they have played.
And it was the most un-City like goal that set them on their way to the first piece of silverware of the Pep Guardiola era.
A simple punt through the middle from Claudio Bravo, Sergio Aguero exploited some weak defending from Shkodran Mustafi and raced through to lob City into the lead.
City outclassed Arsenal after that and the cleverly worked second goal from a short corner routine and third strike from David Silva had more of the sort of craft and invention we have become used to seeing from City under Guardiola.
But for all the stunning strikes his side have produced one of their simplest will forever be etched in the Spaniard’s memory.
2. Wenger’s drought goes on
Maybe it is just not meant to be in this competition for Arsene Wenger.
Another final and another defeat. For the third time he has led Arsenal to the final and the third time he has left Wembley beaten.
It is the one domestic trophy Wenger has failed to win.
And with the Gunners potentially ending the season empty handed and outside the top four it is not impossible that this was his last chance to complete the set.
3. Vincent Kompany leads by example
His body might no longer be what it once was. But Vincent Kompany showed his ability to slot seamlessly back into the Manchester City team when called upon and produce the goods once more against Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola has handled Kompany’s fitness and his reduced role expertly and he was rewarded with an imperious display in the final from the inspirational Belgian defender.
Kompany was the platform on which a devastating City performance was built.
He was a rock at the back and showed his endearing class countless times, not by effortlessly winning a foot race with the lightning Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang before easing the Arsenal striker off the ball.
His crucial second goal was just the icing on the cake.
4. Big buys make costly errors
Arsenal spent £35m on Shkodran Mustafi and the same on Granit Xhaka.
It was the errors in their performances against City that were more costly at Wembley.
Mustafi’s was easy to analyse. He simply should have been stronger in dealing with Claudio Bravo’s long kick and the presence of Sergio Aguero for the opener.
As for Xhaka, his failure to track midfield runners has been a regular cause of frustration.
But at least he had his passing, one of the qualities that earned him a move to Arsenal from Borussia Monchengladbach.
Well, it was noticeably poor against City and at crucial times stopped the Gunners gaining or building momentum.
5. Wilshere cares
Jack Wilshere might be “probably the most overrated player on the planet” according to Roy Keane but there was no hiding from the Arsenal midfielder.
Wilshere was at the heart of Arsenal’s attempts to get back in the game, demanding the ball to try and spark them into life and refused to go down without a fight despite the Gunners being outclassed by City.
Fernandinho noticed Wilshere’s importance and seemed determined to stop him.
The Brazilian was perhaps fortunate to avoid a second yellow for a late foul on the Arsenal man having picked up an earlier caution for wiping him out.
All eyes were on Calum Chambers too after he got the nod for the final after his nightmare against Ostersunds in the Europa League he too didn’t let his side down.
