Mikel Arteta defended his decision to select Kepa Arrizabalaga in the League Cup final after the Arsenal goalkeeper's costly mistake sparked a 2-0 defeat against Manchester City on Sunday. Kepa was guilty of a horrendous blunder in the second half at Wembley when he let Rayan Cherki's cross slip through his fingers, gifting Nico O'Reilly the chance to head in City's opener. Arsenal never recovered and O'Reilly struck again four minutes later to leave the Gunners still waiting for their first major trophy since 2020.

Arteta had opted to keep faith with Kepa instead of picking first-choice stopper David Raya because the former Chelsea star has been a regular in the League Cup this season. The gamble backfired as Kepa endured another League Cup final moment to forget after his 2019 refusal to be substituted by Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri prior to a penalty shoot-out defeat against Manchester City in which he failed to save a kick. Kepa also missed a penalty in a shoot-out loss to Liverpool three years later.