The distraught expression on the faces of Arsenal players when they quietly stepped onto the Stairs of Wembley to receive the runner-up medal said it all. An afternoon full of expectations for Mikel Arteta's team closed in familiar disappointment.
They are too used to witnessing Manchester City celebrate victory. But this time it should have been different - an opportunity to open their own title era, even a stepping stone for the quadruple dream.
Of course, Arsenal's season can still end brilliantly. They are leading the Premier League with a 9-point gap and have an advantage in both the Champions League and FA Cup. "I want the players to have a more objective view" - Arteta shared.
However, the way they failed - and the opponent was Man City - made this result even more unacceptable. Arsenal may have been a better team in the Premier League this season, but at Wembley, they were completely inferior in the second half.
Arteta may regret continuing to trust Kepa Arrizabalaga in cup matches instead of number one goalkeeper David Raya. Kepa's mistake in not finishing Rayan Cherki's cross directly led to the opening goal. "It's unfortunate that it happened at an important time" - Arteta admitted.
But in reality, the situation in the second half was decided from that moment on. After a balanced first half - where Arsenal created more chances but were rejected by James Trafford with a series of excellent saves - they could not resist Man City's intensity and quality of play.
At their peak form, the "Gunners" could narrow down the opponent by pressing and controlling the ball. But this time, they were the team that was pushed and could not deploy their familiar playing style.
The first goal conceded came from personal mistakes, but it was not surprising. The Citizens gradually controlled the game. Arsenal faced even more difficulties due to the absence of creative factors such as Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard. However, the bigger problem lies in ineffective coordination and ball deployment.
From the 60th minute onwards, despite needing an equalizer, Arsenal only controlled the ball 37% in the second half and launched 5 shots with an expected goal index of only 0.17. Unable to penetrate Man City's pressing system, they were forced to use long passes. This playing style caused difficulties for the opponent in the first minutes, but was quickly neutralized.
It is undeniable Arsenal's certainty when they don't have the ball, but ball control is a big problem in the second phase of the season. Against an experienced Man City, relying solely on defense is not enough.
Arsenal twice put the ball in the woodwork at the end of the match, but Man City still controlled the match comfortably after the opening goal. This superiority shows that they still maintained a psychological advantage against the "Gunners".
After the match, Arteta said that the defeat came from about 20 difficult minutes in the second half. But this way of losing raises more questions than just about choosing a goalkeeper.
Is Arsenal having psychological problems? Is their attack sharp enough to support an excellent defense? And are they brave enough to overcome decisive moments?
Those questions will be answered in the rest of the season. Arsenal still has big goals, but first of all they need to quickly get up so as not to waste the efforts they have put in.
What this team has done in the past 8 months is incredible. We will turn this disappointment into motivation to have the best two months. Now is the time to overcome that pain," Arteta added.
However, what happened at Wembley shows that Arsenal still has a lot of work to do if they want to touch titles worthy of their progress.
