Gary Neville Blames Kepa's 'Nonsense' for Arsenal's Carabao Cup Final Collapse
Gary Neville has directly blamed Kepa Arrizabalaga's 'nonsense' behaviour of rolling the ball under his foot for Arsenal's dramatic Carabao Cup final collapse at Wembley Stadium. The Gunners entered half-time level with Manchester City but quickly lost control in the second half, with stand-in goalkeeper Kepa fumbling for Nico O'Reilly's opening goal.
Neville's Critical Commentary on Sky Sports
Working on commentary duties for Sky Sports, Neville highlighted the former Chelsea stopper's actions before the goal as particularly damaging. Kepa, serving as Arsenal's effective 'cup keeper' in place of David Raya, repeatedly put his foot on top of the ball to slow down passing around the backline, hunting for options on where to play the ball.
Neville dubbed this behaviour 'nonsense' and argued it led to 'punch after punch' coming from Manchester City on the Arsenal goal. 'They were knocking at the door and City's fans could smell blood behind that goal,' Neville said during the broadcast. 'It is a really bad one by the goalkeeper, a real howler in a massive moment, but it was punch after punch and O'Reilly steals in.'
Arsenal's Second-Half Struggles and Silverware Drought
The decision to start Kepa proved costly for manager Mikel Arteta, as Arsenal's silverware drought continued and their hopes of winning all four trophies this season evaporated. Neville expressed bewilderment at Arsenal's second-half performance, stating, 'City deserve that, they have been much the better team at the start of the second half and Arsenal now need to show up - what has happened to them in this second half? They have shrunk. Arsenal have gone missing in this second half.'
Kepa's History in Carabao Cup Finals
This is not the first time Kepa has grabbed headlines in a Carabao Cup final. In 2019, while playing for Chelsea against Manchester City, he famously refused to be substituted by manager Maurizio Sarri in a game the Blues ultimately lost on penalties. Then, in 2022, he came on as a 'penalty specialist' in the final against Liverpool, failing to save any of the Reds' penalties before blazing the decisive spot-kick of his own over the crossbar.
Neville's criticism underscores a pattern of high-profile errors in crucial moments for the goalkeeper, with this latest incident contributing significantly to Arsenal's defeat and raising questions about team selection and composure under pressure in major finals.
