“It’s in Arsenal’s hands” – Pep Guardiola plays down impact of Carabao Cup on title race | OneFootball

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has insisted that Sunday’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal will have little bearing on the Premier League title race.

The Blues lifted their first piece of silverware in two seasons at Wembley on Sunday afternoon, with Nico O’Reilly‘s brace sealing a commanding win over Mikel Arteta‘s side at a crucial face-off between the Premier League top two outfits.

However, when asked whether the result could serve as a boost in City’s title battle against the Gunners, Guardiola was characteristically measured and refreshingly honest.

With Arsenal still holding a nine-point lead at the summit of the Premier League – albeit having played an additional game over the Gunners – the City manager was in no mood to overstate what Sunday’s cup triumph means in the context of the broader domestic season.

Guardiola: ‘It will have no impact’

Pressed on whether beating Arsenal at Wembley could shift the mood heading into the run-in, Guardiola was direct. “I would like to have nine points in front of Arsenal,” he said.

“It will have no impact. Different competitions and they will be (focused) when they come to the Etihad – I don’t know what the situation will be.”

The comments reflect a pragmatic understanding of what the cup win can and cannot deliver. City remain nine points behind Arsenal in the league and Guardiola knows better than anyone that cup form and league momentum are not always transferable – particularly against a side as consistent and well-drilled as Arteta’s.

FA Cup tie vs Liverpool the more immediate beneficiary

While downplaying any title implications, Guardiola was clear that the confidence gained from Sunday’s victory could prove decisive in a different context – City’s FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium after the international break.

“That title helps us a lot for the quarter final against Liverpool at home, that’s for sure, with our people,” he said. “For that game, it will help us but the Premier League is in their (Arsenal’s) hands.”

It is a pragmatic prioritisation from a manager who understands that momentum and morale can be fleeting commodities – and that channelling Sunday’s euphoria into a home cup tie may prove far more achievable than attempting to haul back a nine-point deficit in the league.

Guardiola pinpoints where City’s title challenge was derailed

The Catalan also took time to reflect on the moments throughout the campaign that have ultimately defined City’s position in the title race – highlighting dropped points against sides they were expected to beat as the key factor behind their deficit to Arsenal.

“I think they punish us a lot,” he said. “There were two periods when we were incredible, top, top, top. Against Sunderland (0-0 draw on January 1), that magnificent game we played there, and Chelsea and Brighton at home.

“These draws, they punished us a lot in terms of points – against Nottingham Forest and West Ham in the last ones.”

It is a fair assessment. City have shown, at their best this season, that they are capable of playing football of the very highest order. But inconsistency – particularly in matches they ought to have won – has cost them dearly in the title conversation and Guardiola was unwilling to shy away from that reality in the afterglow of a cup triumph.

One game in hand and Arsenal still to come

Despite his reserved outlook, Guardiola has not entirely surrendered hope. City still have a game in hand on Arsenal, and crucially, Arteta’s side must still travel to the Etihad Stadium before the season is out – a fixture that could yet define the destination of the title.

“We have one game in hand, we have Arsenal at home and (then) three points difference,” the Catalan added. “But is that team going to drop points? We’re going to try to win our games and we’ll see what happens.”

It was the kind of quiet, steely determination that has defined Guardiola’s best moments as a manager – not bluster or false optimism but a simple commitment to controlling what City can control and leaving the rest to chance.

Whether Arsenal will oblige and drop points elsewhere remains to be seen. But if City continue the kind of form that produced Sunday’s Wembley performance, they will at the very least ensure the title race goes down to the wire.