The two best teams in the Premier League this season both play extremely effective football at their best, so pre-game thoughts that this would be an epic final weren't without foundation.
Arteta and Guardiola's great Wembley records
Mikel Arteta had never lost a final at Wembley Stadium, whilst Pep Guardiola had won all of the previous EFL Cup finals his City side had contested, including the 2018 final against Arsenal, when Arteta was part of his backroom team.
The Gunners came into the match in a sensational run of form, having not lost in 14 matches in all competitions.
After beating Newcastle United in their semi-final, City had been winless in three leading into Sunday's showpiece, on the other hand.
In terms of recent head-to-head record, Arsenal had got the better of City of late, being unbeaten in their last six meetings, including a 1-1 draw earlier this season when Gabriel Martinelli's 93rd-minute equaliser cancelled out Erling Haaland's opener.
Indeed, City hadn't beaten their North London opponents since April 2023.
With both sides having scored in all of their EFL Cup matches in the 2025/26 campaign, goals were guaranteed, and it was Arsenal who were out of the blocks the quickest, having three on-target shots in the space of a few seconds during the opening exchanges.
Gyokeres' worst game in a while
Two of those came in quick succession from Bukayo Saka, the one Arsenal player who has generally been looked to for a spark of creativity from this side in their big moments during the season.
Despite seeming to be somewhat under the cosh thanks to the flurry of Arsenal chances, City were already controlling the game with 69% collective possession during the opening half hour.
Bernardo Silva's 90.9% pass completion saw him dominate the Gunners' midfield, whilst Viktor Gyokeres was getting no change whatsoever from Nathan Ake (90.3%) and Abdukodir Khusanov (90.2%).
It was another hugely disappointing showing from the Swedish international, who had only two touches in the City box all game, and no shots whatsoever in the 94 minutes of play.
Just three accurate passes made for a 42.9% completion rate, which was the worst of any player on the day, and even second-half substitutes, Riccardo Calafiori and Noni Madueke, had more total touches than Gyokeres' 17.
The striker couldn't even redeem himself with his physical output, winning just two of his 11 one-on-one duels, and none of his aerial duels.
City fly out of the blocks after the break
City themselves didn't even have an attempt at goal until the 43rd minute, Jeremy Doku's effort being blocked, and Haaland's just a minute later was off target.
With Saka attempting four tackles in the opening 45 minutes, and Declan Rice contesting three more, the signs were already there in terms of City's attacking momentum, even though it hadn't borne fruit by the time Peter Bankes blew the half-time whistle.
The beginning of the second half was the polar opposite of the first, with Guardiola's XI coming on strong leading into the hour mark.
All of Haaland, Ake, Rayan Cherki, Rodri and Antoine Semenyo fired off shots, whilst the team collectively upped their possession stats to an incredible 79%.
O'Reilly's double ends Arsenal's hopes
It was only going to be a matter of time before the Cityzens opened the scoring, and when Kepa Arrizabalaga mishandled a simple ball into the box, Nico O'Reilly was there to seize upon the gift.
The youngster repeated the trick just four minutes later - City's only two efforts on target in the match - to take the game away from the Gunners, who had been left shell-shocked by City's intensity after the break.
Arteta's penchant for keeping things tight and not fighting fire with fire arguably did his side no favours whatsoever, and with Rice, Saka and Martin Zubimendi losing possession 39 times between them, the North Londoners weren't able to build up a head of steam at any point.
To give some perspective on just how poor Arsenal were in attack after going behind, in the following 15 minutes, the ball was in play in the City defensive third just 8.1% of the time.
Gunners deserved nothing
Calafiori at least had one effort on target and another that hit the outside of the post, though that's a damning indictment of the North Londoners' front line on the day.
Gabriel Jesus' late introduction almost paid dividends, but he too could only find the woodwork with a header as time ran out.
In truth, Arsenal deserved nothing from the game, as City controlled every aspect with ease and never looked like giving up the lead once they had their noses in front.
If Arteta is looking for reasons why his side were so off the pace, he can perhaps point to the lack of service to Gyokeres - fed just eight times all game - as a major reason.
A distinct lack of creativity also hampered a team that has steamrolled many opponents this season. Just nine dribbles attempted with a 33.3% success rate tells its own story.
With some big games in the Premier League and Champions League still to come for Arsenal, including a trip to the Etihad Stadium in April, the Gunners need to quickly put this performance out of their minds.
If they allow it to affect their confidence and preparations, City are perfectly capable of reeling them in and causing them further disappointment this season.
Catch up on all the stats from the EFL Cup final here
