21/03/2026

SPORTS SATURDAY | MAR 21, 2026

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Gunners quad quest still on Arsenal’s season has passed a turning point – and the best could yet come

Ű BY MIGUEL DELANEY

certed here, though. Gabriel twice headed nar rowly over from set-pieces. You could feel that momentum growing, but also a certain frustration. It wasn’t like against Everton or in the Premier League but it was something else. The longer Leverkusen went without conceding, the more the game felt like it could see a sting. Just as that began to creep in, though, Eze let it all out. On the 35th minute, a nice Trossard touch teed the playmaker up at the edge of the box. Eze flicked it up so fluidly, then drove the fiercest and finest strike right into the top corner. It was a pleasure to watch. After that, the contest wasn’t the same, as it felt like a procession until Arsenal’s eventual vic tory. Leverkusen did have a good spell but just couldn’t get beyond that back line. David Raya, who should be a shout for player of the season, did offer one brilliant save from Christian Michel Kofane. Declan Rice had already scored the clinching goal, however, powering through to drive the ball into the bottom corner. Arsenal keep going, unlike most of the Premier League. It may end up the story of the whole season. – The Independent

backline when they badly needed a goal. Then, Dowman happened. A youthful vigour flowed around the stadium again. There certainly wasn’t the same trepidation that we’ve seen in so many games, despite this awkward fixture representing a real chance of an upset. Leverkusen had given Arsenal a tough game in that 1-1 first leg. There was even a certain momentum to the round, given the number of English reverses. Arsenal at least stopped that rot, by starting to properly play against Leverkusen. The heroics of opposition goalkeeper Janis Blavich may even have helped, forcing them to lift it more. Eze cer tainly did that. It long felt like it was going to take something special to beat Blavich. He’d got a feel for it – lit erally – when brilliantly palming away an early Leandro Trossard effort, before then bettering that with a close-range stop from the same player. That really should have been 1-0 as the Belgian turned in the box to finish, only for Blavich to clip the ball away. It was a supreme save. Arsenal’s domination had been more con

They were far from fully free-flowing, and there were extended spells when an encouraging Leverkusen team put it up to them, but they were back to penning an opposition side in; to moving the ball around at an increasingly disorienting pace. That was most true of the period before Eze’s goal, which went some way to deciding the tie. That itself may well have been shaped by Saturday against Everton. Max Dowman didn’t get to follow that up by coming on at the Emirates but his influence was arguably all over this game. That substitution may yet come to be seen as a before and after in the season. The mood was that different from the majority of Saturday night. Before it, or really the Dowman cross that brought that 87th-minute Viktor Gyokeres goal, the stadium had been surrounded by the worst angst yet. It had looked like the same old story, and cer tainly the same old frustrated draw at home to of course extinguish any excitement that it might actually happen this season. Worse was what the team were doing, devoid of ideas. Unwilling to go long due to Everton’s muscu larity, David Raya was playing the ball around his

M INIMUM fuss in the end, as Arsenal still go for the maximum. It could genuinely be a unique season, as they joined Liverpool as the only English clubs left in the Champions League. For now, an already good week got even bet ter, as Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen didn’t just put them into the Champions League quarterfinal; it puts them in a good place ahead of Monday’s (12.30am Malaysian time) Carabao Cup final, which may yet be the first of four trophies this season. Winning the actual quadruple is of course still a fantasy – the sheer number of games tend to catch up with you – but every match right now is making the vision that bit more real. Perhaps the most important thing about Wednesday’s last-16 second leg, though, was that it was also Arsenal’s best attacking perform ance in some time – maybe weeks, maybe since the second half of the 4-1 over Aston Villa. It also featured what could be the club’s goal of the season: a perfect strike from Eberechi Eze. He may be finally coming into his own, which could be crucial to Arsenal doing the same.

Comparing Guardiola and Arteta ahead of Carabao Cup final

PEP GUA R DIOLA and Mikel Arteta go head to head as Manchester City and Arsenal meet in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Monday. Here a focus on the two managers. Experience The clash pits the master in Guardiola, widely regarded as one of the greatest managers in football his tory, against one of his former appren tices. Arteta spent three years as Guardiola’s assistant at City before taking over at Arsenal in 2019. Guardiola, 55 and in his 19th year in management, has vast experience with 39 trophies to his name, 18 of them since arriving at City in 2016. Arteta, 43, is still to add to the FA Cup he won in his first season but has three Premier League runners-up fin ishes. Head-to-head record Guardiola has the clear edge in past meetings between the pair, with eight victories from their 15 encoun ters in all competitions, alongside four defeats and three draws. Arteta, however, has shaded their most recent encounters, with City hav ing not beaten the Gunners for almost three years. Of their last six clashes, Arsenal have won three (including the 2023 Community Shield, which was settled

Declan Rice will be intriguing.

on penalties) with the other three being drawn. Tactics Guardiola’s style is well established and much imitated, having become a template for managers around the world. Aspects have varied over the years as Guardiola has adapted to the players at his disposal and approach of the opposition but the core philoso phy of dominating possession, build ing fluid attacks and pressing oppo nents remains. Arteta has taken much from Guardiola and their shared Barcelona influences but has diverged in areas, playing a more direct game and – notably – exploiting his players’ strength at set-pieces. Key battles Erling Haaland remains Guardiola’s chief weapon despite a drop in his goalscoring output since the turn of the year. Defences have handled him better of late but he can be a handful for the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel. Bukayo Saka has also gone off the boil for Arsenal but Arteta will hope he can trouble City’s inconsistent defence. In midfield, Rodri’s form has been steadily improving after he overcame last season’s serious knee injury and other fitness issues, and his battle with

Wider implications With the two clubs also competing for the Premier League title, the final potentially has significance beyond the silverware on offer. Arsenal have led the race for much of the season and, having opened up a nine-point lead last weekend, victory would pro vide Arteta with another statement result against his former mentor ahead of next month’s crucial league meeting. For Guardiola, lifting the trophy would offer further evidence that City remain capable of challenging on mul tiple fronts and could deliver a psycho logical boost in the title race. City’s ambitions have hit some road bumps in recent weeks. Like Arsenal, City was also targeting a quadruple. But back-to-back draws in the League and elimination from Real Madrid in the Champions League have left City with two trophies to play for. Defeat in Monday’s Cup final – a trophy Guardiola has won four times at City – would add to the sense that the season is unravelling. With speculation that this could be Guardiola’s final year at City, the Carabao Cup may well be his best chance of going out on a winning note. The Independent/Agencies

Defender Hincapie plays down impact of Cup final on title race A RS E N AL defender Piero Hincapie has insisted his full concentration is on securing victory in Monday’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, rather than the potential ramifications for the Premier League title race. to City’s aspirations of closing the gap on Mikel Arteta’s runaway leaders. However, when questioned on the final’s impact on the title race, Hincapie told reporters: “I don’t know. It’s going to be a very difficult game. We’re very focused on wanting to win it, but we have to work hard to win the title.

over Bayer Leverkusen earlier this week, keeping them on course for an unprecedented quadruple. Hincapie expressed mixed emotions about eliminating his former club Leverkusen, but could not hide his delight at Arsenal’s continued pursuit of honours on four fronts. He stated: “I’m really excited to have qualified for the quarterfinals with my club, but I’m also a bit sad because it was against my former club. This is football and I’m really happy.” – The Independent

This weekend marks the second encounter between Arsenal and City this campaign, follow ing a 1-1 league draw at the Emirates Stadium in September, where Gabriel Martinelli secured a point for the Gunners with a stoppage-time equaliser. The two teams are also due to meet at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League next month. Arteta’s team advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals with a 3-1 aggregate victory

The season’s first major trophy will be con tested at Wembley by the top two teams in the Premier League. League leaders Arsenal currently hold a nine point advantage, and a win over Pep Guardiola’s side could inflict a significant psychological blow

“We’re really focused on the final, which is a very important final. We’re going to train very hard to get to the final in the best way possible and to win the title. That’s the most important thing.”