Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal’s 2–0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final left a “bad taste”, as the Gunners fell short in the competition once again.

Arsenal have now lost each of their last four League Cup Finals – the most prolific loss rate in the competition’s history.

Referring to the loss as a “hard one to take”, Arteta said: “It’s very sad, especially for our players and our supporters because we know how much it means to them, and how much we want it.

“The fact we haven’t managed to deliver that and obviously it’s disappointing.”

A mistake from Kepa Arrizabala ultimately led to the eventual demise of Arteta’s side, but the Spaniard remained firm on his selection of the second-choice keeper.

“I have to do what I think is right, and I think we have an understanding keeping on Kepa. He played all the competition, and I think it would have been very unfair to him and the team to do something different.

“Errors are the power of football, and today, unfortunately, it happened at a crucial moment.”

Despite creating some early chances in the opening moments of the game, the Gunner’s ultimately failed to capitalise on the occasion.

The Premier League-leaders accounted for just 38.1% possession across the 90 minutes of play – their lowest of any game in all competitions this season.

“In the first half, I think we had some really good moments,” reflected Arteta. “I think we were the better team; we had the biggest chances of the game by far. We should have been 1-0 up and that would have changed the course of the game.

“In the first 18-20 minutes of the second half, we had some issues to get out from that block to press them better, and then we conceded a goal in a really unexpected manner – and 3 minutes later they scored another one in similar conditions.

“But sometimes you need to give credit to the opposition. They capitalized in these moments and we didn’t and we have to accept that.”

The Arsenal boss stressed the importance of gaining some perspective following the defeat, assuring that his team will leverage this feeling to motivate them for the remainder of the season.

“What this team has achieved in the past eight months has been incredible, and we’ll use this disappointment to have the most amazing two months. Now, we have to go through that pain, and that’s normal.”

For Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, the victory marks their 19th major honour under his management.

Mikel Arteta reacts to Gunners’ Carabao heartbreak

Mikel Arteta reacts to Gunners’ Carabao heartbreak