Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-0 in the EFL Cup final on Sunday, with Nico O'Reilly scoring twice in a four-minute burst in the second half to seal the trophy, Xinhua reports.

The victory gave Pep Guardiola his fifth EFL Cup title with City and could provide a lift for the closing stretch of the season, with his side still trying to chase down Arsenal in the Premier League title race despite a nine-point gap.

City were the better side after halftime and deserved their win against an Arsenal team that looked short of its usual sharpness, perhaps feeling the effects of a demanding Champions League outing in midweek.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Sunderland claimed a dramatic 2-1 win over Newcastle United at St James' Park in the Tyne-Wear derby, with Brian Brobbey scoring a 90th-minute winner.

Newcastle had gone ahead in the 10th minute through Anthony Gordon after a Sunderland defensive mistake, but Chemsdine Talbi equalized in the 57th before Brobbey struck from close range after his first effort had been blocked.

Aston Villa tightened its grip on a top-four place with a 2-0 home win over West Ham United, thanks to goals from John McGinn and Ollie Watkins in either half.

The loss left West Ham in the relegation zone.

Nottingham Forest also took a major step toward survival with a 3-0 win at Tottenham, increasing the pressure on interim Spurs coach Igor Tudor.

Igor Jesus gave Forest the lead just before halftime, and Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi added second-half goals as Forest moved above Tottenham and three points clear of West Ham.