Arsenal told they must learn to play DIRTY after Carabao Cup final loss as ex-Gunner says decision to start Kepa Arrizabalaga wasn't a mistake

Arsenal’s aspirations of a domestic trophy were dashed at Wembley as a second-half brace from Nico O’Reilly secured victory for City. Despite a competitive first half, the Gunners failed to convert their pressure into goals, with Kai Havertz seeing a golden opportunity thwarted by James Trafford before the momentum shifted decisively due to a costly Kepa error. The Spaniard's blunder highlights a growing concern for Arteta’s side, who have now recorded seven individual errors leading to goals in their last 22 outings - a sharp increase from their previous defensive reliability.

Speaking to Covers.com, former Arsenal defender Sagna refused to scapegoat the goalkeeper for the result, instead pointing toward a lack of tactical pragmatism in the second half. He suggested that a more direct approach might have given them a better chance of coming out on top.

Sagna said: "Mikel Arteta did not make a mistake by starting Kepa in goal instead of David Raya. Kepa is a top goalkeeper and while his mistake cost Arsenal a goal, it wasn’t the only reason why the Gunners lost the game. Arsenal started to sit back in the second half and they invited pressure from Manchester City. They must learn to play dirty and send the ball long to relieve some pressure and position a higher block, rather than in their own box. Whenever they got the ball, they were adamant in playing from the back and they were punished for it.

"If Kai Havertz had scored his early chance in the game, it could’ve been a completely different result. He needed to shoot a bit earlier in order to have more of the goal to aim at, but James Trafford produced a set of great saves - he deserves a lot of praise for his performance. Arsenal need to forget about this result and learn from their mistakes. Arteta will use Sunday’s defeat to inspire his team for the remainder of the season and compete for the three major trophies they have a strong chance of winning."

The defeat further cements Arsenal's miserable recent history in this competition, as they became the first club to lose four consecutive League Cup finals. For Kepa personally, the afternoon was equally grim; he has now appeared in three League Cup finals without ever lifting the trophy, equalling a record held by Les Sealey and Roy Keane.

Arsenal must quickly shake off this Wembley disappointment as they return to a high-stakes Premier League title race with a nine-point cushion at the top of the table. April will serve as a definitive test of their treble pursuit, with the Gunners set to navigate a grueling schedule featuring an FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton and a Champions League last-eight clash with Sporting CP. The manager’s biggest challenge may be implementing the "dirty" game management Sagna called for, as they face a potentially defining run of league fixtures against Bournemouth, Manchester City, and Newcastle.