Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang struck twice for the Gunners to end City’s defence of the trophy, and our sensational run in domestic cup competition.
The holders had produced a brighter showing in the second period - only to be hit on the counter with 20 minutes to go - and Guardiola conceded the game had been lost with a poor display in the opening 45.
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“We can lose the game,” he said, “but we didn’t play the first half like we did the second.
“In the first half, we struggled to play. That’s why we lost the game.
“If you play the first half the way we did in second, maybe it would have been different but we couldn’t do it.
“Sometimes it happens. We did not play good. Simple as that.
“It’s an incredible run but in football, you can lose. The way we lost is what we are sad about.”
Hear Pep’s post-match thoughts in the video above...
