Arsenal player ratings v Man City: Gunners fall at first trophy hurdle | OneFootball

A triple save from James Trafford was the standout moment of the first half, but it was a calamitous error from his opposite number after the break that allowed the 21-year-old, who celebrated his birthday yesterday, to nod into an open goal.

And just four minutes later, the left-back found the back of the net again from a Matheus Nunes cross.

Victory at Wembley comes just days after Manchester City exited the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid, and keeps their hopes of a domestic treble alive. Arsenal, meanwhile, see their 2,059 day wait for a major trophy continue.

Arsenal player ratings v Man City

Arsenal suffered a two-nil defeat at Wembley to Manchester City to end any hopes of a quadruple and deny a first trophy in six years.

Starting XI

Kepa Arrizabalaga – 3/10

Mikel Arteta’s decision to stick with his cup goalkeeper backfired as the Spaniard made a huge error for City’s first goal and looked shaky all afternoon.

Ben White – 5/10

White felt the effects of Doku and Cherki doubling up down the City left-hand side and lashed out on the Frenchman following his showboating.

William Saliba – 7/10

The shining light in Arsenal’s side, he marshalled Haaland superbly throughout the match and can leave Wembley with his head held high.

Gabriel – 6/10

Very few flaws in the Brazilian’s performance as usual, with Arsenal’s ever-reliable centre-back pairing controlling all that was in front of them.

Piero Hincapié – 4/10

Antoine Semenyo gave him a torrid time in the first half, with suggestions of a change needed earlier than Calafiori’s eventual entrance.

Martín Zubimendi – 6/10

A combative performance in the midfield from Zubimendi, but no doubt Bernando Silva and Rodri won the battle in the engine room.

Declan Rice – 6/10

Just like his midfield partner he failed to get the better of his opposite number, Rice’s infamous set-piece deliveries not paying off today either.

Bukayo Saka – 6/10

Saka mustered two shots on target, which is better than what can be said about the rest of his team, but Arsenal’s flat second half saw the attackers look lost against a sea of blue.

Kai Havertz – 5/10

The absence of a creative midfielder (Eze or Odegaard) was really felt as Havertz couldn’t get a foothold in the match. Madueke or Martinelli may have been a more suitable option with hindsight.

Leandro Trossard – 6/10

Threatened to be a difference maker in the first half but Arsenal’s toothless attack can’t earn higher credits than a middling rating.

Viktor Gyökeres – 4/10

After a recent improvement in performances and a second-choice City centre-back pairing, Gyökeres needed to make his impact more felt in the match and was unable to lay a glove on Trafford’s goal.

Substitutes

Riccardo Calafiori – 7/10

Looked a threat down the left flank in his 25-minute cameo and coped a lot better with the dangerous Semenyo than Hincapié.

Noni Madueke – 5/10

May have been a different story if he played from the start but Madueke couldn’t get a grip on the ball as Arsenal chased the two-goal deficit.

Gabriel Jesus – 6/10

Despite only getting 10 minutes of action, Jesus made more of an impact than Havertz or Gyokeres with his running and looping header than bounced off the crossbar.

Gabriel Martinelli – 5/10

Wasn’t afforded enough time to make an impact, potentially another regret for Arteta that he didn’t use the Brazilian earlier.