Manchester City were dominant over Arsenal in the League Cup final. Peter Nicholls / Reuters
Manchester City were dominant over Arsenal in the League Cup final. Peter Nicholls / Reuters
Manchester City were dominant over Arsenal in the League Cup final. Peter Nicholls / Reuters
Manchester City were dominant over Arsenal in the League Cup final. Peter Nicholls / Reuters

Pep Guardiola relies on seniors to win first Manchester City trophy as Arsenal are beaten in League Cup final


Ian Hawkey
  • English
  • Arabic

Scoreline

Arsenal 0 Manchester City 3

  • Agüero 18'
  • Kompany 58'
  • Silva 65'

The 27 points that separate Manchester City from Arsenal in a Premier League table less than three quarters of a season old do not exaggerate.

By the end of a lop-sided League Cup final, a 3-0 scoreline almost seemed a mercy on the limp Londoners. Arsenal might privately acknowledge that had City played at their vintage best, the damage might have been twice as bad.

It was not the most compelling of finals for the neutrals but Pep Guardiola, the victorious manager, will not mind trading that for his first trophy in English football. His next one, City’s imminent league title, will be cheered as a celebration of brilliant, mould-breaking football.

As for Sunday, the plaudits are shared by a trio of senior players, men who have seen City go through their expensive upgrades over many years. The goalscorers were the long-serving trio of Sergio Aguero, captain Vincent Kompany, whose outings are limited by injury concerns, and David Silva, eight years a City sophisticate.

Billed as a contest between the two English clubs who most consistently aspire to fine, passing football, it had been legitimate to hope that two eminent managers with a respect and appreciation for stylishness - Guardiola and Arsene Wenger - might provide an exhibition.

But by halfway through the first half, the pair were exchanging angry words on the touchline. The reason for the dispute across technical areas appeared to be the lead-up to the opening goal.

It was not a typical City goal at all, except that it featured the sure finishing of Aguero. The assist came from Claudio Bravo, who as the No 2 keeper, has the opportunity to play in the domestic knockouts and will be pleased, after last Monday's defeat against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup, to have shown here why his distribution with his feet is so admired.

He struck a goal-kick, long and straight. Aguero waited for it just beyond the halfway line, and after holding his ground as Shkodran Mustafi stood with the Argentine, zipped clear of Mustafi, who was already appealing in vain for a foul, to chase the bouncing ball. He lobbed it gently over David Ospina.

Route 1 had led to 1-0.

______________

Read more

Manchester City defender Kyle Walker is eager to beat 'bitter rivals' Arsenal

Talking points: Guardiola's treble-hunting Manchester City favourites

______________

In truth, nothing more elaborate had threatened a goal. Neither Mesut Ozil, not Kevin de Bruyne, the leading artists, were at their finest in a scrappy first hour.

Arsenal merely had a couple of openings on the break, Kyle Walker stifling Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when the Gabonese striker appeared to have a clear, close sight of goal, and, more alarmingly for the pacey Aubameyang, when the veteran Kompany kept up with him when he broke.

Kompany enjoyed his day immensely.

His fitness did not let him down, which is not something guaranteed these days, and it was he who turned the outcome safely City’s way. He had been on a safari upfield when he skillfully won a corner. De Bruyne took it, low and hard to Gundogan on the edge of the Arsenal penalty box, and in a rehearsed routine, Gundogan - unpoliced - struck it first time, and Kompany diverted the ball past Ospina.

Arsenal, largely penned into their own half, had no significant answer. City may not have been at their most fluent but they produced a neatly worked goal to turn a secure scoreline into an emphatic one.

Danilo’s subtle pass invited Silva to cleverly gain a yard of space on his marker, Calum Chambers and Silva’s left foot shot, angled, accurate and firm, passed sentence on the destiny of the season’s first major prize.

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Cultural fiesta

What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421,  Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day. 

RESULT

Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern:
 Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)    
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')

The Florida Project

Director: Sean Baker

Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe

Four stars

TOURNAMENT INFO

Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier

Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November

UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
DMZ facts
  • The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
  • It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
  • The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
  • It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
  • Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
  • Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
  • Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012. 
  • Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
The%20specs
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Scoreline

Arsenal 0 Manchester City 3

  • Agüero 18'
  • Kompany 58'
  • Silva 65'