Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made the decision to keep Kepa Arrizabalaga, but the goalkeeper’s mistakes cost him as they lost to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
Mikel Arteta sees Arsenal waiting for trophy extension
Mikel Arteta insists he has “no regrets” about starting Kepa Arrizabalaga in Arsenal’s Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City.
The Spaniard was picked ahead of usual number one David Raya and his replacement made a huge blunder that led to the opener at Wembley. Kepa has only featured sporadically this term, with all of his appearances coming in cup competitions.
Arteta had the chance to end his six-year trophy drought but was thwarted by Kepa, but a costly mistake by substitute Raya proved crucial in City making a major statement as they won their first trophy of the season and gave the Gunners a real test.
Kepa has been eliminated in three Carabao Cup finals, losing against Chelsea in 2019 and 2022 before having an unforgettable day with Arsenal. But Arteta insisted any player can make a mistake and if he had another moment, he would give the former Athletic Bilbao a chance to start.
He told Sky Sports: “I would love to do it again. He deserved to be in this game and was phenomenal for us. Errors are part of football and anyone can make them.”
read more: Man City win Carabao Cup, Nico O’Reilly extends Arsenal’s trophy drought – 5 talking pointsread more: Kepa Arrizabalaga’s full-time reaction speaks volumes after last-minute blunder costs Arsenal
Arsenal’s trophy hunt dates back to their 2020 FA Cup victory, which came just months after Arteta took over in north London. The Gunners beat Chelsea in the last four to reach the final, but Arteta did not hide his pain after clinching victory within 90 minutes.
“It’s a pain to reach the final. The will to win the first trophy of the season, which you have been working for for eight months, is always tough,” he said. “We had the best chance in the game to make it 1-0, but then the game would have been different. They had two shots and scored two goals.”
Nico O’Reilly takes advantage of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s mistake to score the opening goal.
Arsenal maintain a nine-point lead over City in the race for the Premier League title. They have played a further game but still have to go to the Etihad, so in theory the gap between them could be closer to within three points. But the Gunners manager insists one bad afternoon will not undo months of good work, even though there are just three trophies still on the table.
“We’ve had a great, great few months together. It’s disappointing today. Football is also part of that. We have to take advantage of this fight to have a great two months at the end of the season,” Arteta said.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
