Mikel Arteta faced strong criticism after Arsenal’s 2 0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, with much of the focus falling on his decision to start Kepa Arrizabalaga instead of David Raya. The call came under even more scrutiny after Kepa made a costly mistake that helped City take control of the match.
Arsenal had trusted Kepa throughout their run to the final, but the choice to keep him in goal for the showpiece match proved expensive when his error led directly to the opening goal.
Kepa selection quickly became the main talking point
Kepa was given the nod after playing in every round of Arsenal’s route to the final. But doubts around that decision were already being raised before kick off, and those concerns grew louder after he failed to deal with Rayan Cherki’s cross, pushing the ball straight into the path of Nico O’Reilly, who converted for City.
That moment shifted the mood of the final and left Arteta facing difficult questions about whether loyalty to a cup goalkeeper should outweigh the need to field the strongest possible team in such an important match.
Pundits say Arsenal needed their best goalkeeper
Jamie Carragher said Arteta had made the wrong call because, in his view, Arsenal owed it to their supporters to start the player who offered the best chance of ending the club’s long wait for silverware. He argued that while second goalkeepers can feature in earlier rounds, finals are a different matter, especially for a side that has not won enough trophies in recent years.
Jamie Redknapp agreed and said the decision had clearly gone against Arsenal. He stressed that Kepa is not a poor goalkeeper, but simply not at Raya’s level, and felt Arteta had taken an unnecessary risk in such a major game.
Ian Wright also viewed the choice as a gamble that failed. He suggested the nature of Kepa’s mistake was especially damaging because it came at a moment when Arsenal were preparing changes and might still have found a way back into the contest.
Arteta insists he would make the same call again
Despite the criticism, Arteta stood by his decision after the match. He described Kepa as an outstanding goalkeeper and said it would have been unfair to leave him out after his contribution in the competition.
The Arsenal manager also said he would repeat the same selection if given the chance again. In his view, the choice was honest and justified by what Kepa had done to help the team reach the final.
Arteta accepted that mistakes are part of football and said any player can make one, even if this error arrived at the worst possible time.
The debate now reflects Arsenal’s wider pressure
What made the issue even bigger was the wider context around Arsenal. This was not simply a rotation call in a minor fixture. It came in a final, with the club under pressure to turn progress into trophies.
That is why the debate has gone beyond one mistake and become a discussion about Arteta’s judgment in big moments. For Arsenal, the defeat was painful enough on its own. For the manager, the Kepa decision has made the fallout even harder to avoid.
