Arteta pledges to use EFL Cup heartache as motivation as Arsenal chase more trophies

Mikel Arteta is certain Arsenal will use the pain of their EFL Cup final defeat to Manchester City as fuel, as they fight for silverware on three other fronts this season.

Two headers from Nico O'Reilly, which came within the space of four second-half minutes, ensured City lifted the first major domestic trophy of the 2025-26 season at Wembley.

Following their 2-0 success, in which Arsenal twice hit the woodwork through Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Jesus, City are just the third club to defeat the Gunners in two major cup finals (also the 2018 EFL Cup), after Newcastle United and Leeds United.

Arteta missed the opportunity to become the first Arsenal boss to win his first two major finals in charge (also the 2020 FA Cup), but he remains upbeat.

The Gunners boast a nine-point lead over City at the top of the Premier League and have favourable quarter-final draws in both the FA Cup and the Champions League, versus Southampton and Sporting CP.

And Arteta expects his players to draw extra motivation from Sunday's defeat, Arteta told Arsenal's website: "It's hard because everyone really wanted it today and I know the supporters wanted it. The fact that we haven't managed to deliver it is very, very painful. 

"We've had a remarkable eight months together, and now there's an international break. We all go into there with a very hard feeling and pain, and we're going to use that as fuel for the next two months.

"We keep going. It's painful not to give them what they are hoping for and what they were cheering for, but we'll recover from that and go again."

Arteta's decision to keep faith in Kepa Arrizabalaga – who had started every game in the run-up to the final – at the expense of first-choice goalkeeper David Raya also attracted scrutiny on Sunday.

Kepa dropped a routine cross from Rayan Cherki to gift O'Reilly his first goal, while he was arguably fortunate to escape with a yellow card when he fouled Jeremy Doku outside the area at 0-0, having allowed the City winger in by misjudging the flight of the ball.

Asked if he was aware of the debate, Arteta told reporters: "I understand that, but I have to do what I feel is right, what is honest and what is fair. 

"I think we have an understanding goalkeeper in Kepa. He's played all through the competition and I think it would have been very unfair for him and for the team to do something different."

Asked if he had promised Kepa cup minutes when he joined from Bournemouth to serve as Raya's understudy, Arteta added: "No, I can never promise a player he will play a certain competition, because in the end, they have to earn it. 

"They have to do enough, like in any other position. We are guided by what we've seen and what he's always done in the competition, and he helped us to get all the way here. 

"I believe it was the right thing to do and that's it. Errors are part of football and today it happened, unfortunately, in a crucial moment."

After the international break, Arsenal return to action against Southampton on April 4, before visiting Portugal for the first leg of their tie against Sporting CP three days later.