Neville makes major Premier League title claim after Man City beat Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final | OneFootball

Gary Neville thinks Man City “landed a major blow” in the Premier League title race by beating Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

The Gunners were undone by a Nico O’Reilly brace as Kepa Arrizabalaga made a big error leading to the first goal with the Citizens winning the first major silverware of the season.

Man City are trailing Arsenal by nine points in the Premier League but Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand and the Gunners have to play the Citizens at the Etihad Stadium in April.

Kepa was heavily criticised for his performance at Wembley, in which he was often seen dawdling on the ball in the second half, and Neville called out the Arsenal goalkeeper.

Neville said on Sky Sports: “Kepa has got to get rid of the ball because it’s not helping them this. All it’s doing is getting the crowd up.

“It’s not helping Arsenal at all. He hasn’t helped himself, not just with that [his error], he was drawing Man City onto him, rolling his foot on the ball.

“And then this, it’s a really bad one from the goalkeeper. Kepa, it’s a real howler in a massive moment.

“Arsenal have shrunk in this game. What’s happened to them? Mikel Arteta’s team have gone missing, what’s happened to them in this second half?

“Goalkeepers have got to stop doing that, they take the momentum out the game and you send a message to the opposition that you haven’t got any idea. It’s a nonsense.”

Neville believes that the win over Arsenal in the final could rejuvenate Man City’s title challenge after landing a knock-out blow to the Gunners’ Quadruple chances.

Following the full-time whistle, Neville said: “They’ve landed a major blow, Manchester City.

“The impact that might have… Man City needed something to lift them and they’ve just got it.

“Arsenal need to recover but Pep Guardiola will be so proud because his team have delivered. They’ve got time to recover, Arsenal, but Mikel has a big job on his hands now.”

When asked how he helps the players process results like these, Arteta told reporters: “Well, especially to have some perspective on it and what this team has done in the last eight months has been incredible and we’re going to use this disappointment and this fire in the belly to have the most amazing two months that we have ever together and that’s on us and we’ll manage that energy in the right way.

“Now we have to go through that pain and disappointment and it’s normal and it’s part of football.”