It’s almost impossible to list all the differences between Arsenal and Manchester City on Sunday, such was the vast chasm in performance separating the two Carabao Cup finalists, but one of them was certainly Vincent Kompany.
While Shkodran Mustafi allowed Sergio Aguero to delicately nudge him out of the way for Manchester City’s first goal and Calum Chambers watched helplessly leg-tied as David Silva jinked the ball beyond him before rifling past David Ospina, City’s ever-crocked skipper was an impenetrable rock at the back.
During the one moment when Arsenal looked like getting back into the match, their captain shouldered Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang off the ball inside his own penalty area before shrewdly galloping away into a pocket of space. And that calmness, quality and power summed up Kompany’s display.
Equally as important as a performance that was rightly rewarded with a goal as Kompany instinctively flicked his foot at Ilkay Gundogan’s shot to send the ‘keeper the wrong way though, was the leadership he provided at the heart of defence, barking orders at team-mates, organising the players around him and asserting his physicality when required.
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It was a display that reminded us why Kompany is so important to this City side even if he can only be saved for big occasions like Sunday’s Carabao Cup final due to hamstring problems, but also highlighted how Arsenal lack a personality of similar calibre – someone prepared to make a difference in both boxes when there’s silverware on the line.
In a cup final that will only be remembered for how far apart both sides were, the 72-cap Belgian stood out as one of the biggest and most intrinsic differences.
