Tom Masters
Mar 22, 2026, 09:11 PM
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Kepa Arrizabalaga's Wembley nightmare continued as his glaring error led to Arsenal's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the 2026 Carabao Cup final.
Arsenal were hoping to get their quadruple attempts officially off the ground and take their first trophy since 2020 and make a statement in the process.
But a Nico O'Reilly quickfire brace, with his two goals coming four minutes apart midway through the second half, put an end to those Arsenal hopes and with it, led to some serious questions around the Spanish goalkeeper.
Kepa's error led to Arsenal's 2026 League Cup defeat. Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images
Both Pep Guardiola, who sealed his fifth Carabao Cup victory, and Mikel Arteta, who has still yet to win one as a manager, opted for their second-choice goalkeepers for the final, which has led to mixed reactions.
James Trafford made key saves early on for City, while Kepa's error brought back some bad memories for the goalkeeper of previous Carabao Cup final mishaps.
Kepa has now played in six finals at Wembley and lost all of them but it is in particular his League Cup final defeats in 2019, 2022 and now in 2026 that will live long in the memory, for all the wrong reasons.
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What happened in 2019?
Chelsea faced Guardiola's City in the 2019 edition of the Carabao Cup final and one of the most famous controversial incidents at Wembley took place that day.
The scores were level at 0-0 after 90 minutes and as extra time approached Kepa went down injured.
Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted during the 2019 Carabao Cup final. Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Then-Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri readied Willy Caballero to replace Kepa for the penalty shootout but there was a twist in the tale.
Kepa refused to come off.
Maurizio Sarri walks away in disgust after Kepa refused to come off the field. ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images
That decision infuriated Sarri so much that he very nearly walked down the Wembley tunnel himself, with David Luiz attempting to motion Kepa to do as his manager said.
In the end, Kepa did stay on the field and let in a tame effort from Sergio Aguero as City won 4-3 on penalties.
What happened in 2022?
Still at Chelsea, Kepa had another Carabao Final to forget, this time against Liverpool and under the stewardship of Thomas Tuchel.
An entertaining final failed to produce goals, with VAR ruling out a Romelu Lukaku goal and Édouard Mendy making an incredible save to deny Sadio Mané.
Edouard Mendy was replaced by Kepa in the 2022 League Cup final for the penalty shootout. Visionhaus/Getty Images
But as penalties approached, Tuchel made a decision that would prove costly, to bring Edouard Mendy off in place of Kepa, who had helped Chelsea to win the European Super Cup at the start of the season.
Kepa sees his penalty blazed over the bar in the 2022 League Cup final penalty shoutout. Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Kepa failed to save a single Liverpool penalty, letting in all 11 spot kicks, including one from Virgil van Dijk when the Spaniard tried to force him to make a mistake by standing to the side, only for Van Dijk to hit it hard to the same side.
Having let Liverpool keeper Caoimhín Kelleher score his penalty, Kepa stepped up to take the penalties back to the original takers but duly missed, blazing the ball over the bar as Liverpool wheeled away in celebration.
What happened in 2026?
His most recent final and this time one in the colours of Arsenal, who surely must have been considered favourites against City.
It was a game in which Kepa had very little to do for an hour before it all went wrong.
Having already been booked for fouling Jérémy Doku, Kepa's afternoon went from controversial to downright bad.
Kepa's error cost Arsenal dearly in the 2026 Carabao Cup final. Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
After Rayan Cherki clipped a ball into the box, Kepa failed to take a routine catch of the ball, instead dropping it behind him and directly into the path of Nico O'Reilly.
The Manchester City left back could not miss and his goal led to Arsenal's demise.
Shortly after, O'Reilly made it 2-0, though there was little Kepa could do about the second goal, and despite their best efforts and hitting the bar twice late on, Arsenal could not recover.
Pundit quotes
After his latest Wembley debacle, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, a League Cup winner in 1995, questioned why Arteta opted to play Kepa.
He said: "Kepa is not as good as [David] Raya, that's why he is number two.
"Why in a major cup final when you are trying to get across the line and haven't won a trophy in so long do you decide to play him?
"You have to take responsibility for that, that is a monumental error.
"He is not a bad goalkeeper, but he's not as good as Raya. That has backfired big time."
Arsenal legend Ian Wright, a League Cup winner the last time his former side lifted the trophy in 1993, agreed that it backfired.
He said: "The gamble didn't pay out. It was the mistake that made you say: 'That's a number two'"
Fellow pundit Michah Richards added: "We are talking about it because that is why Arsenal lost the game."