Arteta defends Kepa squad after blunder leaves Arsenal in Carabao Cup final

Mikel Arteta has defended his decision to select Kepa Arrizabalaga in the League Cup final after the Arsenal goalkeeper’s costly mistake led to a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.

Kepa was guilty of a terrible blunder in the second half at Wembley when he let Rayan Cherki’s cross slip through his fingers, giving Nico O’Reilly the chance to head in City’s opener.

Arsenal never recovered and O’Reilly struck again four minutes later, leaving the Gunners still waiting for their first major trophy since 2020.

Arteta had opted to retain faith in Kepa rather than select David Raya as first choice as the former Chelsea star has been a regular in the League Cup this season.

The gamble backfired when Kepa was forced to forget another League Cup final moment after refusing to be substituted by Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri in 2019 ahead of a penalty shoot-out defeat to Manchester City in which he failed to save a kick.

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Kepa also missed a penalty in a shoot-out defeat against Liverpool three years later.

Asked about the criticism of his decision, Arteta said: “I understand, but I have to do what is right and fair.

“Kepa has played the whole league, I think it would have been unfair to him and the team to do anything differently.

«He had gone all the way through this competition. Mistakes are part of football and unfortunately today it happened at a crucial moment.»

With a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League, Arsenal were favored to beat City but failed to capitalize on the opportunity.

Far too conservative for long spells at Wembley, Arsenal remain without a trophy since the 2020 FA Cup after their four-way bid came to an agonizing end.

«Very sad, very difficult to accept. We know how much it means and how much we wanted it. The fact that we didn’t deliver on that is disappointing and leaves a bad taste,» Arteta said.

“In the first half we were the better team and had the best chance of the match. If we had scored it would have changed the game.

«In the first twenty minutes of the second half we were not at our best. We struggled to get out of our block and of course conceded the goal in an unexpected way.

«You have to give the opposition credit. They raised their level and took advantage of their moments. We didn’t do that.»

Published on March 23, 2026