The debate will rage all week. Was Mikel Arteta wrong to use Kepa Arrizabalaga in the EFL Cup final instead of first-choice goalkeeper David Raya?
Arsenal's policy throughout this season's competition has been consistent: Kepa plays the cup rounds, Raya plays the league. It is not unusual — Manchester City did exactly the same with James Trafford, who started Sunday's final and made three excellent saves. The difference is that Trafford did his job. Kepa did not.
On the hour mark with the score at 0-0, Rayan Cherki floated a right-wing cross into the Arsenal box. It was not a difficult ball. Kepa moved to claim it. The ball slipped through his gloves. Nico O'Reilly nodded home from two yards. It was one of the most costly goalkeeping errors in EFL Cup final history.
Earlier in the second half, Kepa had rushed off his line to foul Jeremy Doku on the edge of the box — a decision many felt deserved a red card, not the yellow he received. There were warning signs throughout.
Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports did not hold back: "I know people will say it's sentiment and he played in the earlier rounds, but Kepa is not as good as Raya. That's why he is the number two. So why, in a major cup final when you're trying to get across the line, do you play him? It has backfired big time."
Arteta will argue the policy is about rewarding players who earn their place in a competition. That is a defensible position in normal circumstances. But when the trophy is there to be won — and Arsenal were well in the game for 60 minutes — the question of whether this was the right call will not go away quickly.
