When Pep Guardiola lifted the EFL Cup trophy at Wembley on Sunday evening, he did something no manager has ever done before. Five League Cup titles. Five. More than Sir Alex Ferguson, more than Jose Mourinho, more than any other coach in the competition's 65-year history.
City have now won the EFL Cup nine times — also a record. And Guardiola has been responsible for five of those, winning in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and now 2026. His record in League Cup finals as City manager is now perfect: five finals, five wins.
The victory was delivered by an unlikely hero. Nico O'Reilly, the 21-year-old left-back who celebrated his birthday on Saturday, scored twice in four second-half minutes — both headers from crosses — to seal a 2-0 win over Arsenal at Wembley. The first benefited from a catastrophic error by Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who allowed a routine Cherki cross to slip through his gloves.
Guardiola's City were not the dominant force of previous years for much of the match — they failed to register a single shot on target in a cagey first half. But they came out transformed after the break, and when the first goal arrived it opened the floodgates in terms of momentum.
For a man whose future at City continues to generate speculation, this is a trophy that silences the doubters for now. City have not had the season they would have hoped for — eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid, nine points behind Arsenal in the Premier League. But on this particular Sunday at Wembley, Guardiola showed exactly why he remains one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game.
