Mikel Arteta should have known better: Kepa was always going to let Arsenal down at Wembley

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Any talk of an Arsenal quadruple has been firmly put in the bin after a miserable display at Wembley allowed Man City to win.

Kepa Arrizabalaga was the villain of the piece for the Gunners as his mistake allowed Nico O’Reilly to nod home the opener before the English youngster then sealed it with a second.

Kepa was given the nod ahead of David Raya, with Mikel Arteta insisting the Spaniard had earned his spot.

However, the former Chelsea man’s Wembley nightmares came back to haunt him and really, Arteta should have known better.

Arsenal fans, what is the biggest mistake Mikel Arteta made in the Carabao Cup final?

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Kepa’s Wembley record showed Arsenal should have stuck with David Raya

There is a lot to be said for Mikel Arteta in giving Kepa a chance and in a way, it’s pretty admirable of him to give him a big game to play in.

However, it went wrong for Kepa. And not for the first time at Wembley.

His record at the famous stadium is abysmal. In 2019, Kepa refused to be subbed off as Chelsea headed towards penalties, prompting a furious response from then Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri.

Then, in 2022, Kepa was forced to step up and take a penalty against Liverpool as Chelsea battled it through sudden death with the Reds. However, instead of keeping his cool, Kepa smashed his penalty into the stands to hand Liverpool the trophy.

To top things off, his mistake today gifted City the opener, making it a hat-trick of errors when it matters the most.

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Mikel Arteta needed to put Arsenal first

As mentioned, Arteta probably felt inclined to go with Kepa given he’d played in the competition already.

However, there was more at stake today than just winning a trophy. Arsenal have handed City a small boost in that the title race might not be completely over. The two teams meet in a few weeks and if City win that, and their game in hand, the gap is back to just two points.

Arteta should have gone with his best team and that team includes David Raya.

At the very top, there is no room for sentiment and ultimately, Arteta has paid the price for going with a bit of heart over the right decision.

In the end, the Arsenal boss will probably stand by his call. But when he reflects at some point in the next few weeks, he’ll know he’s blown a big chance.