Kepa mishandled the ball, allowing Nico O’Reilly (blue shirt) to head in Man City's opening goal in the English League Cup final at Wembley Stadium, London, England on 22/3. Photo: BBC

In the 2026 English League Cup final, Kepa made a crucial error, failing to catch a cross from Rayan Cherki, which allowed Nico O’Reilly to head Man City into the lead. Pep Guardiola's side never looked back, as O’Reilly completed his brace with another aerial header just four minutes later, sealing a 2-0 victory. This marked Man City's fifth triumph in the competition under the Spanish coach's era.

While Man City's reserve goalkeeper, James Trafford, shone with excellent saves early in the match, Kepa's mistake stirred unpleasant memories of his past Wembley disasters.

Kepa's unfortunate history

The 31-year-old goalkeeper has now played in six finals at Wembley and lost all of them. However, three English League Cup defeats in 2019, 2022, and now 2026, will continue to haunt fans for unexpected reasons.

In 2019, Kepa, then playing for Chelsea, faced Man City in a match that witnessed one of the most controversial incidents in Wembley's history. With the score still 0-0 after 90 minutes and extra time nearing its end, Kepa collapsed on the pitch with an injury. Coach Maurizio Sarri was preparing to bring on Willy Caballero for the penalty shootout. But an unbelievable turn of events occurred: Kepa refused to be substituted.

This act enraged Sarri to the point he almost stormed down the tunnel, while David Luiz desperately tried to persuade his young teammate to obey orders. Ultimately, Kepa remained on the pitch but conceded from a not-so-dangerous shot by Sergio Aguero, indirectly leading to Chelsea's 3-4 loss in the penalty shootout.

Kepa refused coach Sarri's substitution.

Still with Chelsea, Kepa endured another forgettable experience against Liverpool under coach Thomas Tuchel in 2022. It was a dramatic final with no goals scored, as VAR disallowed a Romelu Lukaku goal and Edouard Mendy made a brilliant save against Sadio Mane.

Approaching the penalty shootout, Tuchel made a costly mistaken decision, substituting Mendy for Kepa. Earlier that season, the Spanish goalkeeper had helped Chelsea win the UEFA Super Cup. But this time, Kepa failed to save any of Liverpool's 11 penalty kicks. He was even "dan mat" (made a statement to) by Virgil van Dijk, who blasted a shot into the exact corner Kepa was covering. After opposing goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher successfully converted his penalty, Kepa stepped up for the decisive kick but blasted the ball over the bar, handing the championship to Liverpool.

Arteta: from pragmatism to empathy

In over six years leading Arsenal, Arteta has built a reputation as a manager always ready to make tough decisions, seemingly able to completely set aside emotional factors. Therefore, his decision to start Kepa instead of first-choice David Raya at Wembley was "an emotionally driven favor", as commented by BBC Sport.

Arteta chose Kepa not because he believed he was the best goalkeeper for the final. He selected him to reward his contributions in the five previous matches of Arsenal's 2026 English League Cup journey, and because the 43-year-old coach felt it was a noble gesture.

"I have to do what I feel is right, honest, and fair," Arteta explained in the post-match press conference. "I think there was an understanding between us and Kepa. Kepa started throughout the competition, and I believe it would have been very, very unfair to him and the entire team if we had done otherwise."

Had Arsenal overcome Man City to win their first title of the season, this decision would undoubtedly have been hailed as a masterstroke, a sign of Arteta's growing maturity and increasingly refined leadership. The coach, born in 1982, previously shared how he evolved to better grasp the emotional aspects of his job, rather than purely focusing on technical-tactical elements.

Coach Mikel Arteta (left) shakes hands with Pep Guardiola before the 2026 English League Cup final. Photo: Reuters

However, Arsenal could not prevail. They suffered a 0-2 defeat, with Kepa's error proving pivotal. This failure was not solely due to Arteta's goalkeeper choice. The other 10 Arsenal players on the pitch also played below their potential. On the other side, Guardiola also benched his first-choice goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, to give Trafford an opportunity, but Man City did not suffer any negative consequences.

Former England and Man City goalkeeper Joe Hart, commenting on BBC Sport, stated: "Arteta was not obliged to play Kepa. It was the decision of a coach who stands before an opportunity to win multiple titles this season. He chose Kepa because he believed he was ready. But I always say this: never feel sorry for a goalkeeper. That is the path they chose. For most of the match, Kepa made no errors, but in that critical moment, he will certainly have much to reflect on."

Kepa's mistake occurred in an area where Raya typically excels: effectively controlling the penalty area to anticipate and catch high balls. But that was not the full extent of the Spanish goalkeeper's limitations seen in the match.

Before the first goal, which was a direct error, he also received a yellow card after rushing out of the penalty area, misjudging the ball's trajectory, and committing a foul to prevent Jeremy Doku from entering the box, leaving the goal empty. Additionally, his ability to escape pressing was lacking. Raya's patience and passing accuracy are key to Arsenal's build-up play from the back.

Raya's footwork skills would have helped the "Phao thu" (Gunners) escape Man City's deliberate mid-block pressing. Guardiola's players often refused to push their front line to mark Arsenal's penalty area. Instead, they chose to maintain a four-man front line outside the 16-meter box, luring Kepa and the deepest Arsenal players into ball distribution, then exploiting their errors.

Arteta's trust in Kepa can be seen as a shift in his thinking. In the 2021-2022 season, he had dropped Bernd Leno, who had started the previous three rounds, to bring Aaron Ramsdale into the English League Cup semi-final. Arteta had also been similarly ruthless with players in other positions. Christian Norgaard played all three opening rounds this season, only to be mercilessly dropped in the first leg of the semi-final against Chelsea and not play another minute afterward. But in the goalkeeper position, perhaps Arteta believed a different approach was needed.

Kepa rushed out and fouled Doku. Photo: AFP

Arsenal possesses squad depth in this position. Kepa has 13 caps for the Spanish national team, was once the world's most expensive goalkeeper, and last season still started 31 Premier League matches for Bournemouth on loan. For a reserve goalkeeper, appearances in cup competitions are invaluable experience. Unlike other positions, they are rarely brought on as substitutes. An exception occurred last month, in another "humanitarian" move, when Arteta brought third-choice goalkeeper Tommy Setford on for Kepa in the final minutes of the FA Cup win against Wigan.

Goalkeepers have a unique relationship. They train together daily with high intensity, knowing only one will play. Both Kepa and Setford have not played a single minute in the Premier League this season. Perhaps Arteta wanted to reward that dedication.

The former Chelsea goalkeeper joined Emirates last summer to compete with Raya, who leads the Premier League with 15 clean sheets. Arteta affirmed that while Kepa had limited playing time, he never guaranteed him a starting spot in cup competitions.

"I never promise any player that they will play in a specific competition, because ultimately they have to earn that opportunity themselves, every position is like that," he further explained. "We based our decision on what we had seen and what Kepa had demonstrated to bring the team to this final match. I believe it was the right decision. Mistakes are a part of football, and unfortunately, it happened at a decisive moment."

Perhaps in the long run, Arteta's decision will be proven right. It could help him win over his players, secure Kepa's loyalty, and maintain stability in the team structure. But at Wembley, the price was too high.

It is not difficult to understand why Arteta wanted to reward his second-choice goalkeeper. But after this experience, he will likely think long and hard if he wants to repeat it. Kepa has also started all three of Arsenal's FA Cup matches this season, helping the team reach the quarterfinals, where they will face Southampton early next April. If Arteta once again reaches a final at Wembley next May, it remains to be seen if he will soften his stance.

Hoang Thong