Arsenal, nicknamed "The Gunners," lost 0-2 to Manchester City in the 2025/26 EFL Cup final, failing to win the title after conceding two goals in the second half. Mikel Arteta expressed his disappointment at not being able to deliver the championship to the fans, but said he would use this time to work hard to rebuild.

In the 60th minute, Laryan Scherki received a diagonal pass from Bernardo Silva and crossed the ball again. Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa fumbled the clearance, and Nico Aurelli headed the ball into the net, giving Manchester City a 1-0 lead.

In the 64th minute, Nunes combined with his teammates and chipped the ball into the box, where Nico Aureli headed it in, extending Manchester City's lead to 2-0.

Ultimately, Arsenal lost 0-2 to Manchester City at Wembley Stadium, failing to lift the championship trophy.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: "It's hard to accept because the players are all very eager to win, and I know the fans are too. We failed to do that, and it's really painful. We've had an extraordinary journey together over the past eight months, and now we're going into the international break, and we'll all be carrying this heavy and painful feeling into this period, but we'll turn it into motivation for the next two months."

“We will keep going, and it is painful not to deliver what the fans expected, but we will recover and start again. We are all very sad, especially to lose in this way. I think we were the better team in the first half and had two great chances, including the best chance of the game. If we had taken those chances, we would have had the momentum we need for the final.”

In addition, Arteta said, "In the second half, we had some problems getting past their defense, but we also have to commend Manchester City for their composure at times, and we need to do better in terms of possession. It's very rare to concede the first goal when the opponent barely had any shots, and they scored the second goal with their second shot of the game, which made the game even more difficult."

"A team can certainly have momentum, but if it doesn't translate into actual results, that momentum will eventually change, and this change just happens at the worst possible moment, so you just have to accept it. Sometimes you have to admit that your opponents played better at that moment and seized their opportunities, and that's exactly what you need to do to win a championship."

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