Jamie Carragher has launched a scathing assessment of Mikel Arteta’s decision to start Kepa Arrizabalaga in Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City, insisting the manager “does not owe Kepa anything” and should have prioritised the club’s desperate need for silverware.

Arteta kept faith with his cup goalkeeper, selecting Kepa ahead of first-choice David Raya after the Spaniard had featured throughout the competition. The call backfired when Kepa failed to deal with a Rayan Cherki cross, allowing Nico O’Reilly to head in the opener before adding a second later on as City took control at Wembley.

Carragher, speaking on television duty, argued that sentiment had no place in a showpiece occasion for a club that has struggled to turn progress into trophies.

“I’ve got strong views on playing the second goalkeeper. I don’t like it, but I can understand it in some situations,” he said. “Mikel Arteta does not owe Kepa anything. He owes Arsenal supporters the best possible chance of winning the first trophy in six years. He can play through the rounds, but once you get to the final, it has to change for me.”

The former Liverpool defender dismissed comparisons with Caoimhin Kelleher’s role in Liverpool’s domestic cup triumphs, stressing that the context was entirely different.

“People might flip and say Kelleher and Liverpool. The reason he got so many opportunities to play in finals is because Liverpool were desperate to keep him. That is not the point with Kepa. He was signed as a No. 2 and he’s not good enough at the top level – we’ve seen that at Chelsea.”

Jamie Redknapp echoed Carragher’s criticism, branding Arteta’s call “a monumental error” and questioning why a manager under pressure to deliver would willingly weaken his side.

“Kepa is not as good as Raya. That’s why he is the No. 2,” Redknapp said. “So why, in a major cup final when you’ve not won a trophy in so long, do you decide to play him? You have to take responsibility for that.”

Arteta, however, stood firmly by his goalkeeper and his own selection, describing Kepa as “outstanding” and insisting he would make the same choice again.

“He deserved to play this game and has been phenomenal for us,” Arteta said. “Errors are part of football and anyone can make them. I have to do what I think is right, which is honest and fair. It would’ve been very unfair on him to do something different.”