Flashback EFL Cup final 2018

The EFL Cup final is this weekend and to build up to that game we are looking into last year’s final. The final was played between one of this year’s finalists, Manchester City and Arsenal. Man City were victorious last year and comfortably beat Arsenal 3-0. There is a feeling that City could easily win again this year as they beat the other finalists, Chelsea, 6-0 ten days ago.

Last year, the win gave Guardiola his first trophy as a City manager. On the contrary, this was Wenger’s sixth EFL Cup final in his 21 years as Arsenal coach, but he had never won the competition. It was his last opportunity, but the game showed the gulf in class between the two teams that that moment in time. City were really on the up and had the Premier League pretty much wrapped up already, whereas, it was Wenger’s last year and the team was on the decline.

City were not even at their best and looked a little sluggish at times, but Arsenal were just not playing to their capabilities and made the game easy for City. Aguero scored the first goal, 18 minutes in after some bad defending from Mustafi. The second goal was scored by City’s best performer on the day, their captain, Komapny. Once that goal went in, there was no way back for Arsenal, and seven minutes later Silva got the third goal. It was almost a surprise that City did not get more goals after the 65th minute.

Arsenal did not look like a team in good form or that believed that they could win the trophy. At the end of the game Wenger tried to claim that City’s second goal should not have counted as there was an offside in the buildup, however, there was such difference in quality between the two teams that even if that goal did not count City would have found another way to score and win the match. They were the deserved Champions and look like they will win the trophy again this year.