Arsenal wilt in League Cup final as Manchester City show why title race is far from over
It was only one defeat, but the manner and significance of it will make Arsenal wobble at the worst possible time.
Ahead of a final you will be told to have no regrets but Arsenal will have plenty as they lost the League Cup final to Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, and only really showed up for 15 minutes at the start. Mikel Arteta looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing as he stood on the sidelines. After a bright start where they forced James Trafford into a great triple save, Arsenal wilted.
They retreated into their shell. They only really went close again through a late Gabriel Jesus header. They panicked and were sloppy and just couldn't keep the ball or get any rhythm going.
It was all too safe. Too conservative. Arsenal have been guilty of that in previous years when they were on the cusp of winning trophies and it happened again, in a very big way, at Wembley.
Just a week on from Arteta being bold with his attacking selections and getting a huge win late on at home against Everton, which seemed to have swung the title race massively in Arsenal's favor, they reverted to being more pragmatic in a key moment. Whether that was by design from Arteta or due to a lack of belief from Arsenal's players on the pitch, it is not a good sign. It tells us this title race is far from over.