Arsenal and Manchester City will face off at Wembley on 22nd March in the EFL Cup final after the sides overcame tricky opponents in the semi-finals. Mikel Arteta’s Gunners got the better of Chelsea, 4-2 on aggregate, while Pep Guardiola’s City were more emphatic against Newcastle, winning 5-1 over two legs.
Man City are second in the League Cup winners’ list (behind Liverpool), having won it eight times, including four years in a row between 2018 and 2021. Arsenal, meanwhile, have finished as the runners-up more times than any other side in the competition, losing in the final six times. The north Londoners have won it twice, in 1987 and 1993, but their third is well overdue. It’s the first time Arsenal and Man City have met in the League Cup final, and with the sides also battling it out for the Premier League title, it’s a massive clash.
Before we assess each side’s relative chances of landing their first silverware of the season, let’s look back at how Arsenal and Man City made it to the final. Both sides entered at the third-round stage of the competition, which was won last season by Newcastle (who beat Liverpool 2-1 in the final).
Arsenal
Arteta’s side began their EFL Cup campaign with a relatively easy 2-0 victory over League One side Port Vale. Eberechi Eze netted his first goal for the Gunners after his transfer from Crystal Palace, while Leandro Trossard’s strike sealed victory. Next up, Arsenal earned another 2-0 triumph, this time against Premier League opposition. The Gunners welcomed Brighton to the Emirates, and the visitors put up a decent fight. Ultimately, the home side proved more clinical in front of goal, and Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka got on the scoresheet. At 15 years old, Max Dowman became the youngest Arsenal player ever to start a match.
Things weren’t quite so straightforward for Arsenal in the quarter-finals when Crystal Palace visited north London. It was a tight match, and it took Arsenal 80 minutes to find a goal, which came from an own goal. Palace weren’t beaten though, and equalised deep in injury time through Marc Guehi (who’s now a Man City player). With no extra time, it went to penalties, which Arsenal edged 8-7 to make it to the two-legged semi-final against Chelsea.
The first leg against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was a fine match for the neutrals, and either side could have edged it. The Blues’ new boss, Liam Rosenior, was keen to continue his winning start at the club. As it turned out, Arsenal had enough firepower to prevail with Ben White, Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi all on target. The Blues scored two of their own, both through Alejandro Garnacho, but the Gunners were happy to take a 3-2 lead into the second leg. Things were a lot tighter at the Emirates, and chances were few and far between. Chelsea largely nullified the Gunners, but the home side earned a narrow 1-0 win with a late Kai Havertz goal to triumph 4-2 on aggregate.
Manchester City
Like Arsenal, Man City began their quest for League Cup glory with a 2-0 victory on the road against League One opponents. Goals from Phil Foden and Savinho allowed City to ease past Huddersfield Town without any real scares. Next up, City found themselves a goal down early on in their match against Championship side Swansea City. Pep’s men fought back, however, to prevail 3-1, with goals from Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki.
City once again won by a two-goal margin, this time against Premier League side Brentford. Cherki was once again on target, scoring just after the half-hour mark, while Savinho scored the second. That set up a semi-final clash against League Cup holders Newcastle United.
In the first leg at St James’ Park, Guardiola’s City stamped their authority on the tie when new signing Antoine Semenyo opened the scoring in the 53rd minute. The Magpies couldn’t find a response, and City doubled their lead through that man Cherki.
In the second leg at the Etihad, Eddie Howe’s Newcastle needed a fast start if they were to have a chance of making it to the final. But it was City who struck early, with Omar Marmoush scoring after just seven minutes. He scored his – and City’s – second in the 29th minute, and Tijjani Reijnders ended it as a contest with his goal for the home side three minutes later. Newcastle got one back but couldn’t muster a fightback, and City won 5-1 on aggregate.
Arsenal v Manchester City – Who Will Win the League Cup?
As we mentioned above, Arsenal and Man City have never met in a League Cup final previously. They have also never met in an FA Cup final, although they faced one another in the semi-final at Wembley in 2020. Played behind closed doors due to the global health crisis at the time, Arsenal won 2-0 that day. More recent history suggests Arteta’s men have the upper hand over Pep’s City: the Gunners have won three and drawn three of their last six encounters with the Cityzens (although one of those wins was on penalties in the 2023 Community Shield).
The bookies have Arsenal as the favourites, priced at 7/5 compared to 2/1 for City. And though either side could clinch it on the day, we have a feeling Arsenal will finally land their third League Cup, and it could be the first of several trophies this season.