There was a time when the old trophy with the three handles felt like the personal property of Pep Guardiola. The Manchester City manager won the League Cup for the first time in 2018, beating Arsenal in the final, and he repeated the trick in each of the next three seasons.
The ensuing years in the competition have been less kind to Guardiola and the club but here was the riposte. On so many levels. City had entered this final as underdogs; an unusual position but a reflection of their recent wobbles and how Arsenal have been the pre-eminent team in England and Europe so far this season.
