William Saliba was the only Arsenal standout from dismal Man City defeat, his teammates let him down
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Credit: Imago Mon 23 March 2026 10:15, UK William Saliba was let down by his teammates as Arsenal lost the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City on Sunday. The Gunners were beaten 2-0 at Wembley after a key four minutes in the second half, which saw Nico O’Reilly’s double put the game out of reach.Mikel Arteta’s side enjoyed an early chance when Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka were denied by James Trafford, but they barely laid a glove on Man City after that.
It was a dismal display which may well have ramifications in the Premier League, with the two teams set to meet again at the Etihad Stadium next month.Arsenal’s form had been stronger going into Sunday’s game, but Arteta will now be glad to have the international break to dwell on their shortcomings. ⚽ Arsenal Matchday ⚽ Team news, line-ups, expert verdicts and previews, and tactical analysis for every Gunners fixture. VISIT THE ARSENAL MATCH HUB MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES The stats behind William Saliba’s strong performanceFootball Insider exclusively revealed in September that Arsenal were confident of keeping Saliba at the club, and the defender later put pen to paper on a new five-year deal.The 24-year-old’s performance at Wembley on Sunday showed exactly why that was such a big moment for the Gunners, and why he is regarded among the best centre-backs in the world.William Salibavs Man City Minutes played90Accurate passes46/48Clearances6Recoveries 7Duels won6/7Was fouled2From the off, the France international was tasked with keeping track of Erling Haaland, and he constantly mopped up attack after attack.Saliba made two tackles, six clearances, seven recoveries and won all but one of his contested duels on the day, in what was a tremendous performance.The trouble is that the defender’s performance was not matched by any of his Arsenal teammates.The likes of Piero Hincapie, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, who have so often been the main men for the Gunners this season, went almost completely missing in the big moment.
Saliba will be confident of still lifting silverware this season, but Arsenal will be lucky if Sunday’s performance has not placed a slight twinge of doubt in his mind.Saliba withdraws from international dutyIn the immediate aftermath of Arsenal’s defeat, it was announced that Saliba had withdrawn from France’s international friendlies with an ankle injury.It is unclear how serious the 24-year-old’s issue is, but the Gunners will likely see the benefit in giving him a slight break nonetheless. Saliba has suffered from several periods of absence this season, including ankle problems that ruled him out against Nottingham Forest earlier in the season, and Brighton at the start of March.The defender joins a crop of players Arsenal will hope to have back by the time they play Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-final next month. 💰 ARSENAL INSIDER UPDATE 💰 Inside the transfer budget, player wages, new kits, off-pitch deals and boardroom developments at Emirates Stadium.