Kepa’s Carabao Curse? Inside Arsenal’s Wembley Heartbreak and That ‘Unjust’ Keeper Gamble

The vibes were high, the outfits were Prada, but the result? Total heartbreak. Arsenal’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City on March 22, 2026, has turned a potential champagne toast into a major tactical head-scratcher.

Even with a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League, the Gunners looked totally human at Wembley. A second-half brace from City’s Nico O’Reilly sealed the deal, but the real tea is how it all went down. According to Opta , Arsenal has now logged 7 individual errors leading to goals in their last 22 games.

That is a massive spike compared to just one lonely mistake in the 28 matches before this slump. The Keeper Drama We Didn't See Coming Screenshot from @ballgisthub, via Instagram. com.

Used under fair use for editorial commentary. Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Kepa Arrizabalaga. Mikel Arteta chose to start his cup specialist over his first choice, David Raya, and it did not go as planned.