Carabao Cup Final: Carragher Criticizes Arteta for Major Decision Error Against Manchester City

Former Liverpool defender and football analyst Jamie Carragher has pointed out what he believes was a costly mistake made by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during the Carabao Cup final clash against Manchester City.

Arsenal suffered a frustrating 2-0 defeat against their strong rivals, missing the chance to win their first trophy of the 2025-26 campaign. The loss extended the club’s wait for silverware, leaving supporters disappointed after high expectations going into the final.

Carragher shared his opinion on X, stating that Arteta made the wrong call by choosing Kepa Arrizabalaga ahead of the regular first-choice goalkeeper David Raya for such an important match.

According to Carragher, the long period Arsenal has gone without lifting a trophy should have played a key role in the manager’s selection decisions, especially in a final where experience and form are critical.

He wrote on X that selecting Kepa instead of Raya was a major error, adding that when a club has waited so long for success, the manager must always put the strongest possible lineup on the pitch in order to give fans the best chance of celebrating a trophy.

Arteta, however, defended his decision after the match. The Arsenal boss explained that he felt it was fair to keep Kepa in goal because the Spanish goalkeeper had featured in every Carabao Cup game for the team during the season. Arteta insisted that rewarding players who helped the club reach the final is part of maintaining trust within the squad.

The 31-year-old Kepa joined Arsenal during the summer transfer window to provide backup for Raya and has mainly been used in domestic cup competitions rather than league matches.

During the final, Kepa’s performance became a major talking point. Around the hour mark, he failed to deal properly with a high cross delivered by Rayan Cherki, which allowed Nico O’Reilly to score and give Manchester City a crucial advantage.

Statistics from the match showed that the former Chelsea goalkeeper did not register a single save, while Manchester City managed to score with both of their shots on target, making Arsenal’s defeat even more painful.

In contrast, David Raya has been one of Arsenal’s most consistent performers this season. The Spanish international currently leads the Premier League clean-sheet standings with 15 shutouts, highlighting the strong form that made many fans question why he was left on the bench for such an important final.

The result has sparked debate among supporters and analysts, with many agreeing that team selection in major finals can determine the outcome, especially when the margin for error is extremely small.