Pep Guardiola officially overtakes Sir Alex Ferguson trophy record

Sir Alex Ferguson is undoubtedly one of the best managers in football history with Johan Cruyff, Rinus Michels and Pep Guardiola among those also up there with the fiery Scotsman.

Ferguson, born and raised in Govan, arrived at Old Trafford with quite the reputation after he beat Real Madrid in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup with Scottish side Aberdeen.

Things didn’t start swimmingly following his move south of the border but the faith of the club’s decision makers was repaid in the form of 13 Premier League titles.

To put his brilliance into perspective: he retired in 2013 after becoming the champions of England for one last time and Manchester United have struggled ever since.

David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Ruben Amorim are among those who have been unable to emulate Ferguson’s success on the touchline of Old Trafford.

But someone who has given that a good go, albeit on the opposite side of Manchester, is Guardiola.

And, following his side’s 2-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday, City boss Guardiola has now officially overtaken Ferguson as the manager with the most Carabao Cup trophies – five.

Nico O’Reilly scored twice – on the hour mark and the 64th minute – to bury the Gunners and secure the first trophy on offer this season.

Such a win means he has now won the competition on five occasions, overtaking Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Brian Clough (all on four).

Pep Guardiola arrived at the Etihad Stadium in 2016 to replace the outgoing Manuel Pellegrini – and he’s gone on to win eight league titles between then and the current day.

Many claim that Ferguson is superior because he didn’t have the same financial backing as the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich chief.

However, there are others who believe that Pep Guardiola is the better tactician – and therefore the better manager.

It is a debate that will prevail the test of the time but the Manchester City manager now has the upper hand in terms of his success in the Carabao Cup.

This comes just days after Guardiola also overtaken in terms of how many Champions League matches they had taken charge of.

City’s 2-1 loss at the Etihad was the 55-year-old’s 191st match in Europe’s premier competition, whereas Ferguson only managed 190.