Pep stops 3 Arsenal stars as tunnel footage emerges after Carabao Cup final

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola shared warm exchanges with Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Jesus in the Wembley tunnel following his side's Carabao Cup final victory over Arsenal

Pep Guardiola enjoyed a cordial moment with Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Jesus following Manchester City's Carabao Cup final triumph over Arsenal. The Catalan was in jubilant spirits after his team defeated Mikel Arteta's side beneath the Wembley arch.

Nico O'Reilly's double header proved sufficient to deliver Guardiola's fifth League Cup success. For Arteta, it represented a laboured display which concluded Arsenal's pursuit of an historic quadruple.

Following the final whistle, Guardiola encountered Saka, Eze and Jesus in the tunnel. He exchanged a warm embrace with the trio, clasping hands with Saka and hugging Eze, who was absent from the final due to a calf problem.

Guardiola also engaged in conversation with Jesus, the very player he offloaded to the Gunners during the summer of 2022. Their interaction seemed warm and amicable, with Eze grinning throughout their discussion.

Unsurprisingly, nobody in the capital wore a broader smile than Guardiola. His team entered the Wembley showdown as outsiders, yet they comprehensively outperformed the sluggish Gunners

For Arteta, it represents a significant setback which prolongs his barren spell without silverware. Whilst Arsenal have threatened to claim the Premier League over the past four campaigns, Arteta remains without a major honour since lifting the 2020 FA Cup shortly after succeeding Unai Emery.

Arsenal remain in the FA Cup and the Champions League, and also lead the Premier League by nine points, but the League Cup final represented a significant chance to break their trophy drought. Following the match, Arteta encouraged supporters to focus on the broader, more optimistic outlook, despite the underwhelming performance.

When asked what he would tell supporters after the frustrating loss, he said: "Well, especially to have some perspective on it. What this team has done in the last eight months has been incredible.

"We're going to use this disappointment and this fire in the belly to have the most amazing two months that we have ever together. That's on us and we'll manage that energy in the right way. Now we have to go through that pain and disappointment and it's normal and it's part of football.

"For sure, there will be a lot of aspects that we will discuss. There will be a lot of aspects that we need to discuss, I think we have to reflect on that, bring the temperature down a little bit and we will discuss that."

Following the international break, Arsenal head to Southampton for the FA Cup quarter-final on 4 April, before jetting off to Portugal to face Sporting in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on 7 April.