Pep Guardiola collected the 40th trophy of his managerial career this past weekend, guiding City to a surprisingly routine 2-0 win against a deenergized Arsenal side.
Could the result cause a butterfly effect for Arsenal going forward? In any event, Guardiola’s victory created a lovely piece of history, as he became the most successful manager in the history of the tournament with five wins. He pulled away from British footballing royalty in the process, separating himself from Ferguson, Clough and Mourinho (all of whom had four). In celebration of his remarkable achievement, I have decided to rank his five League Cup victories. These matches are not ranked by quality, but by their impact in the broader scheme of Guardiola’s City tenure. Here goes nothing.
5. Manchester City beat Aston Villa 2-1 (2019/2020)
This is the League Cup success that resonated with me the least. City were comfortably the better team that day, threatening to run away with proceedings after Aguero and Rodri gave them a 2-0 lead inside 30 mins. Samatta gave the Villains a glimmer of hope just before the break, but City dominated the 2nd period (aside from one late wonder save from Bravo to deny Engels). Victory made it three straight League Cup titles for Guardiola’s bloodthirsty City unit. The result did come as a welcome balm amidst Liverpool’s runaway title success.
4. Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-0 (2025/2026)
Sunday’s 2-0 win over quad-chasing Arsenal brought a five-year League Cup drought to an end. City were at their dazzling best, putting aside their relatively poor recent form to outplay Arsenal. I was actually shocked at how easy it was. Guardiola knew that former protégé Mike Arteta would instinctively go defensive with a trophy at stake. He responded by naming the most positive lineup you could imagine, starting with Haaland, Semenyo, Cherki and Doku. City just got better as the game progressed, with O’Reilly scoring twice in the space of four 2nd-half minutes to kill off the contest. Doku traumatized Ben White while Cherki even had time to play some keepy-uppy with 20 mins to go (a penny for Guardiola’s thoughts). It was a routine win, putting all the Arsenal quad talk to bed. It’s impressive that he can still nab silverware with one of his ‘weakest’ sides.
3. Manchester City beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 (2020/2021)
City’s 2020/2021 victory over Spurs was just textbook Guardiola. City had a complete stranglehold on proceedings, having 21 total shots to Spurs’ 2. Foden and Gundogan dictated the pace of the game, starving Spurs of possession. But Spurs managed to hang on quite manfully, frustrating the superior Citizens for 82 minutes. But brute force succeeded where finesse had failed, with Laporte’s thumping late header proving to be the winning goal. This triumph made it four successive League Cup titles for Guardiola’s all-conquering City, making them just the 2nd team in history to achieve that feat (Liverpool did it between 1981 and 1984).
2. Man City beat Chelsea 4-3 on penalties after 0-0 draw (2018/2019)
This was hardly the greatest advertisement for football, with Chelsea failing to have a single shot on target in 120 mins of football. The most memorable aspect of this final was Arrizabalaga-gate, where Kepa ignored Maurizio Sarri’s calls for him to be substituted for penalty specialist Willy Caballero. Sarri was left flabbergasted on the touchline, gesticulating wildly in scenes worthy of a Spanish melodrama. The reason this win is so high is that it was the first leg in City’s unprecedented domestic treble success. That achievement tends to be forgotten (especially in the wake of the 2022/2023 treble). But Fergie’s United won the alpha-treble back in 1998/1999. City’s 2018/2019 squad became the first English club in history to win all three domestic trophies in one season.
1. Man City beat Arsenal 3-0 (2017/2018)
You cannot overstate the importance of Man City’s 2017/2018 League Cup win. It was the first trophy of Guardiola’s decorated reign, setting in motion a period of domestic dominance akin to 80’s Liverpool or Fergie’s United. City completely outplayed Wenger’s Arsenal, with Aguero, Kompany and David Silva the scorers on the day. It was the first in many painful afternoons for Arsenal fans during Pep’s tenure (the latest of which came on Sunday). Guardiola’s arrival elevated the status of the competition. Wenger had downplayed the competition in his latter years, routinely using it as a breeding ground for his young talent. Guardiola put more stock into the cup, recognizing that victory could foster a winning mentality that would bleed into the remainder of the season. I think he has been proven right.
