Jamie Redknapp was left in disbelief at the “big mistake” Mikel Arteta made in Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City.
Arsenal’s wait for silverware continues at Wembley
Nico O’Reilly scored twice in five stunning second-half minutes to fire Manchester City to victory in the Carabao Cup final and thwart Arsenal’s bid for the quadruple.
Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga gave City their first when he fumbled through Rayan Cherki’s cross on the hour mark, with O’Reilly on hand to head home from close range.
A lively City then doubled their advantage four minutes later after O’Reilly converted Matheus Nunes’ cross to send Pep Guardiola dancing on the touchline.
Riccardo Calafiori hit the post and Gabriel Jesus scored as Arsenal searched for a response, but City saw out victory as Guardiola secured the 19th trophy of his 10 seasons for City.
Arteta’s Arsenal went into Sunday’s final hoping to end the season with an unprecedented four trophies, and end a six-year wait for silverware.
But Sunday’s crushing defeat at Wembley will do little to ease their tag as ‘almost men’ and also raise important questions over the remainder of their campaign.
City are nine points behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race but have a game in hand with Arteta, who are also due to travel to the Etihad Stadium next month.
Arteta will be aiming to silence the doubters to secure only the second trophy of his tenure and the first in almost six years. But the Spaniard was given a tough lesson by his former mentor Guardiola.
Redknapp criticizes “huge mistake” by Arteta
It was a largely forgettable afternoon for Kepa, who has suffered another nightmare at Wembley. From his substitution under Maurizio Sarri to his penalty miss against Liverpool, the last thing the Spaniard needed was another mistake on the big stage.
That, however, happened when he fumbled in O’Reilly’s path to score the opening goal. This happened seconds after he was forced to foul Jeremy Doku in a few mysterious minutes.
Redknapp criticized Arteta for starting Kepa, calling it a “big mistake” and saying he “must take responsibility” for the decision.
It’s a call Arteta will regret, with the chance to end Arsenal’s trophy drought passing him by. With the international break now upon us, the Spaniard will be hoping to get back on track by fighting for the Premier League title.
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There is also the small matter of the Champions League and FA Cup after Arsenal got past Bayer Leverkusen. Whether Kepa makes it into those competitions remains to be seen, however.
