Still the master, Guardiola fires timely reminder to Arsenal

LONDON, March 22 : Eight years ago, Pep Guardiola began one of the most dominant periods by any manager in the history of English football by masterminding a defeat of Arsenal in the League Cup final.

On Sunday he repeated the trick at Wembley to remind everyone that despite suggestions his powers are on the wane, he remains the master at delivering silverware.

City's 2-0 defeat of Premier League leaders Arsenal courtesy of a double by youngster Nico O'Reilly was Guardiola's 16th major trophy since taking charge in 2016 and his record fifth for the club in the League Cup.

Afterwards the Spaniard acknowledged the competition lacks the prestige of the Premier League or Champions League.

But there was no disguising how much it meant to him judging by his celebrations, especially against his former apprentice Mikel Arteta whose Arsenal side are threatening to seize power domestically and who were even being tipped for a quadruple.

It was also a victory for Guardiola's footballing philosophy as his side emerged from Arsenal's suffocating early grip to dominate the showpiece in their own silky way.

Since fellow Spaniard Arteta won his only trophy for Arsenal in the 2020 FA Cup final, Guardiola has won the Champions League, four Premier League titles, the FA Cup, two League Cups, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

"It was special because we had a tough two weeks," Guardiola said of his side's recent dip which has seen them fall nine points behind Arsenal in the Premier League and crash out of the Champions League to Real Madrid.

"I'm really pleased because Mikel created a team that is almost unbeatable. A fifth (League Cup) in 10 years is not bad. Every time you win a title it looks more difficult than in the past. It is