Manchester City secured the Carabao Cup following a 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the final, with a second-half double from Nico O'Reilly securing the silverware. Goalkeeper James Trafford justified his inclusion by helping City keep a clean sheet, making an early save to deny Kai Havertz. According to reports, the Carabao Cup final served as the season's first trophy to be awarded in England, with the match taking place on Sunday at Wembley.
Pep Guardiola is currently midway through a Premier League ban but was allowed on the bench at Wembley for the EFL Cup final. Guardiola served the first game of his ban at West Ham and will have to sit in the stands for the FA Cup quarter-final clash against Liverpool on April 4. New regulations mean Premier League managers are suspended for one game once they have received three yellow cards, while six cautions result in a two-match ban. Guardiola has earned a two-match ban after a sixth yellow card of the season, but it did not apply for the Carabao Cup final. During the final, he was warned by fourth official Tom Bramall to get back into his designated area after stomping 20 yards down the touchline.
Pep Guardiola stated he doesn't understand why Guehi cannot play in the final and hopes the Carabao Cup can change the rule.
In the FA Cup, Manchester City secured a fifth-round passage with a win over Newcastle United. City came from behind to beat Newcastle United 3-2, with goals from Omar Marmoush (two) and Savinho. Harvey Barnes gave Newcastle the lead in the match.
For the FA Cup match, Pep Guardiola made 10 changes from the side that began the Premier League draw against Nottingham Forest. Matheus Nunes was the sole survivor from the Nottingham Forest game in the starting lineup against Newcastle. Erling Haaland was not on the flight to Newcastle for the FA Cup match and was being rested, according to Guardiola. Eddie Howe made significant alterations to the XI that overcame Manchester United for the FA Cup match against City. Will Osula was offered a rare start at centre forward against Manchester City, and Nick Woltemade was deployed in midfield.
Foden said 'Football sometimes is not straightforward' and he's trying to train well to get back to form.
Guardiola clarified after the FA Cup win that he had always intended to rest Haaland. He confirmed that Erling Haaland would be fit for Wednesday’s Champions League tie with Real Madrid and warned that Haaland would be at his sharpest for that clash. According to reports, Haaland should now be up to speed for the Real Madrid match. Reports indicate that Haaland has dipped in and out of Manchester City’s team in recent weeks, with Guardiola leaving him out of the FA Cup fourth round clash with Salford City. He was brought back for the Premier League visit of Newcastle last month, where he was locked in a physical battle with Newcastle center back Dan Burn for 90 minutes at the Etihad. Newcastle adopted an aggressive man-marking approach against Haaland, with Dan Burn marking him closely. City had seven days to prepare for the trip to Leeds United’s Elland Road, but that wasn’t enough time for Haaland to recover from his encounter with Burn, according to reports. Haaland was fit enough to play the full 90 minutes against Nottingham Forest in City’s subsequent match, and Guardiola adopted a cautious approach for another trip to St James’s Park to avoid overloading him, reports suggest. Manchester City and Guardiola have experience of tailoring their fitness regime to peak during the most important months of the campaign, according to reports.
James Trafford is set to stand in for Gianluigi Donnarumma in the Carabao Cup final, according to Guardiola. Manchester City signed Trafford from Burnley last summer with the intention of making him the No. 1 ahead of Ederson’s departure. However, the club signed Gianluigi Donnarumma later in the window, and he displaced Trafford as Guardiola’s first-choice goalkeeper. Trafford has been linked with Premier League rivals Chelsea and Newcastle United. According to reports, both teams have let their respective reserve goalkeepers play in the tournament so far, with Kepa Arrizabalaga guarding the goal for Arsenal and James Trafford playing for Manchester City. On Friday, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola confirmed that Trafford will get renewed trust in the final, with the regular first-choice Gianluigi Donnarumma benched, he said. Guardiola also commented on Trafford's recent remarks, where the goalkeeper expressed that he did not expect to be relegated to the bench during the Premier League season when he was signed from Burnley this summer, according to Guardiola. According to reports, James Trafford has played 12 competitive matches for Manchester City this season.
Guardiola joked that he would go on holiday for the games he is banned from.
Defensively, Ruben Dias has been declared unfit for Manchester City's Carabao Cup final against Arsenal due to a hamstring injury. Dias was substituted at half-time during the match against Real Madrid and remained on the bench during the match against West Ham United due to hamstring problems. He sat out eight fixtures at the start of 2026. Josko Gvardiol is out with a broken leg injury. Injured defenders Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias are both eligible for Carabao Cup medals.
Marc Guehi is cup-tied for the Carabao Cup final due to his participation with Crystal Palace. Carabao Cup regulations stipulate if a player is signed after the first leg of the semi-final, he is ineligible to participate in the remainder of the competition. Guehi finalised his transfer to City on January 19, six days after they triumphed over Newcastle United in the semi-final first-leg. Under new EFL rules, players are required to be registered with a team before the semis to be able to play in either leg or in the final. Marc Guehi was banned from playing in the Carabao Cup final and will not be eligible for a medal. Antoine Semenyo wasn't cup-tied for the match despite playing for Bournemouth in the second-leg defeat to Brentford.
Guardiola said, 'Yes, he will play,' according to Manchester Evening News at a press conference.
Phil Foden was introduced off the bench in the 90th minute to replace Rayan Cherki in the Carabao Cup final. Foden has started only four of City's past 13 matches in all competitions and has not scored in his past 20 appearances dating back to 14 December. He has now collected 18 trophies since breaking through into the first-team and failed to make it off the bench in the Champions League last-16 second leg tie against Real Madrid.
Rayan Cherki caused a stir on social media with his antics at the Carabao Cup final. Videos were widely shared of Cherki juggling the ball mid-game, winking at the crowd after being fouled by Ben White, and shoving manager Pep Guardiola at full-time. Pep Guardiola stood on the touchline with his arms folded, shaking his head at Cherki's antics. Cherki has provided eight Premier League assists this season, all from open play.
Guardiola said, 'Good,' about Trafford's frustration and continued: 'There is nothing to say. Players can be happy, unhappy. That's how it is. He must be here, do his best, and then we'll see what happens at the end of the season. The important thing is that they must be ready.'
Newcastle United beat Manchester City on Tyneside in the Premier League in November, but have lost all three subsequent meetings with Manchester City after that win. Newcastle United won 2-1 against Manchester United in the Premier League on Wednesday, with Will Osula scoring a 90th-minute winner.
Eddie Howe looks set to go very strong in their FA Cup tie against Manchester City.
Guardiola said, 'I didn’t think to let him play and I prefer him training to make a rhythm.'
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta delivered a frosty response upon learning that James Trafford would be starting for Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final. Arteta confirmed he has not communicated with Guardiola in some time but will do so on Sunday.
Guardiola was furious after Jeremy Doku was denied a foul in the FA Cup win over Newcastle, according to reports.
Guardiola stated, 'After injury, when he drops, he always struggles to have that real pace.'
Unresolved questions linger regarding the full extent of injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, beyond the reported hamstring and broken leg issues. The reasons behind Phil Foden's reduced playing time and goal drought remain unclear, and the future plans for James Trafford at Manchester City are uncertain given his bench role and transfer speculation.
Guardiola said, 'We have to make an alternative to long balls with Erling when he’s up against a player like Burn.'
Guardiola stated, 'Otherwise every three days doing that for a striker like Erling, it’s not sustainable.'
Guardiola said, 'We have to make an alternative so we still have a dream for him to play and play more, and with man marking that’s difficult.'
Guardiola said, 'We have experience of that with the treble—you have to arrive in the decisive moment of the season with players.'
Guardiola stated, 'It’s a pity that the Premier League is not in our hands. That is a big drop against Nottingham [Forest] but don’t think much, recover, go to Madrid, make a good selection and hopefully we can behave—win or lose—in the way we are.'