Manchester City have issued a warning to Arsenal in the Premier League title race following their Carabao Cup final victory at Wembley.
According to The Times, midfielder Nico O’Reilly believes City can still close the gap and challenge for the title despite trailing by nine points.
O’Reilly scored both goals in the 2-0 win over Arsenal and said the result could shift momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.
“We’re confident in ourselves, we know we can do it,” he said. “They’ve got to come to our place, which is a tough place to come to. We smell blood and we’ve got to keep going.”
City remain behind Arsenal in the standings but have a game in hand and still host Mikel Arteta’s side later this season, a fixture that could prove decisive.
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Midfielder Rodri also believes the result could impact Arsenal’s mindset.
“It’s important,” he said. “We showed we can beat them. There is still a lot to do, but we have to take the positives and keep going.”
Pep Guardiola echoed that view, suggesting the win could restore belief after their recent Champions League exit.
“When a group wins, it gives them confidence,” Guardiola said. “We will see what our level is in the coming weeks.”
Arsenal remain favourites to win the title, but their advantage could be reduced if City win their game in hand and take points from the meeting between the two sides.
Arteta, however, backed his squad to respond, insisting the defeat would not derail their season.
“We’re going to use this disappointment to push forward,” he said.
With both teams still involved in multiple competitions, the title race remains open heading into the final weeks of the campaign.
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