Manchester City won the first trophy of the Pep Guardiola era yesterday, brushing Arsenal aside 3-0 in the League Cup final with the help of an old-fashioned route-one goal from Sergio Aguero.
It was an impressive statement of intent from Guardiola’s team at Wembley after a shock FA Cup defeat to lowly Wigan last week ended their bid for an unprecedented quadruple.
Man City opened the scoring in the 18th minute when a long punt upfield from goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was controlled by Aguero, who coolly lifted the ball over a helpless David Ospina in the Arsenal goal.
Captain Vincent Kompany doubled the lead in the second half with just over half an hour to go and David Silva put the game out of the reach of Arsene Wenger’s team.Â
The runaway Premier League leaders will be hoping to use the victory as a springboard to greater glory as the season approaches its final stretch but defeat for Wenger means he has never lifted the League Cup.
On a bitterly cold, clear day in London, City, in their light blue kit, took control early, playing measured football and enjoying the lion’s share of possession against a side who have made Wembley a second home in recent years.
But Arsenal went closest to taking the lead within the first 10 minutes, with new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang seeing his scuffed shot saved by a sprawling Bravo.
Seconds later Aguero found the side netting after an incisive break from City, who looked short of their fluent best.
But it was Aguero who broke the deadlock, controlling the ball as Arsenal’s defence failed to deal with the danger, silencing the boisterous Arsenal fans.
The Argentine striker has scored in each of his past five games in all competitions against Arsenal and this was his 199th goal in City colours.
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