Guardiola shows Arteta who is the 'title-winning expert'

The narrative of this year's English League Cup final unfolded as a duel between two reserve goalkeepers. Meanwhile, on the managerial side, Pep Guardiola demonstrated to Mikel Arteta that he is still the expert in securing trophies.

Manager Mikel Arteta's decision to stick with goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga backfired clearly after the Spanish keeper's mistake allowed Nico O'Reilly to score the opening goal for Man City.

Man City wins with a backup goalkeeper

On the other hand, Man City's second-choice goalkeeper James Trafford repaid Guardiola's trust when chosen to replace first-choice keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. James Trafford made three excellent saves in the first half, helping Man City maintain a balanced game.

Man City's backup goalkeeper James Trafford performed well when given the chance to start

Arteta later told talkSPORT that he had no regrets about choosing Kepa, but he surely couldn't avoid thinking about the scenario if David Raya, Arsenal's number one goalkeeper, had been in the goal.

Kepa avoided a red card early in the second half when he rushed out of the penalty area and fouled Jeremy Doku. Man City players called for a red card, arguing Kepa prevented a clear scoring opportunity, but Arsenal's goalkeeper only received a yellow.

Nevertheless, Kepa was later punished for his error. He let the ball slip through his hands while blocking Rayan Cherki's cross, and O'Reilly capitalized on this chance to score the opening goal. Raya could only watch with disappointment from Arsenal's bench.

Four minutes later, O'Reilly headed in from Matheus Nunes' precise pass, and in a flash, Arteta's hope of achieving a historic quadruple vanished.

Only time will tell how this defeat at Wembley will psychologically affect Arsenal in their quest for their first Premier League title in over 20 years.

Although Arsenal still leads the table with a 9-point gap over Man City, everyone knows underestimating Guardiola is dangerous.

Pep remains the 'title-winning expert'

This victory is certainly one of the most satisfying moments in Guardiola's career, especially when many had predicted Man City's chances were over in the final.

While Arsenal controlled the match in the first 35 minutes, Guardiola looked increasingly tense in the technical area. Perhaps many thought Arsenal would win in the second half and claim the League Cup.

But Arsenal failed to create a turning point in the second half, and Man City fully deserved the win in this match. This is also the 5th time Man City has won the English League Cup under Pep Guardiola.

The victory in the recent final once again shows that Pep Guardiola is still the title-winning expert.

The story could have been different if Trafford hadn't proven he deserved to be Man City's first-choice option with excellent saves against Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka (twice), becoming the pivotal moment of the match.

After the match, Arteta kept his players on the field longer, forcing them to watch Man City players receive their medals. Many players, including Saka, looked gloomy.

Arteta called it a "sign of respect," but clearly it carried deeper meaning, such as using the pain of a final defeat as motivation to win bigger trophies ahead. Arsenal's season could still end brilliantly with many medals, provided Raya is in the goal.