Manchester City midfielder Nico O'Reilly believes his side's Carabao Cup triumph over Arsenal has landed a significant psychological blow in the Premier League title race.

O'Reilly scored both goals in City's 2-0 victory at Wembley, a result that not only delivered more silverware for Pep Guardiola but also raised questions about Arsenal's resilience as the season reaches its decisive phase.

The two clubs are locked in a tense battle at the top of the Premier League, separated by nine points and with a potentially decisive clash still to come at the Etihad Stadium. While Guardiola publicly played down the wider implications of the cup final, O'Reilly was more forthright about the impact he believes it could have on Arsenal's mindset.

“One hundred percent, it is a blow for them and we need to build on it and get some momentum from this win now,” O'Reilly said. “As soon as the international break is over we need to kick on and fight hard.”

City, who also have a game in hand in the league, remain in contention on multiple fronts. O'Reilly underlined the importance of maintaining intensity across all competitions, with an FA Cup tie against Liverpool looming as another major test of their credentials.

“We have a game in hand in the Premier League, we have to play them at our place. We are still in the FA Cup. Liverpool is a tough tie and we know that so we need to do everything we can to keep going,” he added.

The final itself was a story of two halves. City failed to register a shot on target before the interval, but emerged transformed after halftime. O'Reilly credited Guardiola's tactical adjustments for the shift in momentum.

“I think we dominated as soon as we came out in the second half,” he said. “We didn't let them out of their half, a few tweaks from the manager tactical wise and positional wise, and it worked well.”

For O'Reilly, the occasion capped a remarkable few days in his career. Named in the England squad and celebrating his 21st birthday, he then delivered the decisive performance on one of English football's biggest stages.

“Perfect weekend, I couldn't have asked for much more,” he said. “Now we can celebrate a bit and get ready for the international break.”