Arteta again persisted with Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal - the Spaniard having gifted Manchester City their opening goal in Arsenal’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final defeat a fortnight ago - and made two changes to his back line from that match. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Christian Mosquera both started, lining up alongside the less frequently used Christian Norgaard and teenage sensation Max Dowman. Viktor Gyokeres, who scored four goals over the international break for Sweden, was left on the bench among a raft of Arteta’s usual starters. BBC commentator Micah Richards was critical of Arteta’s decision in the aftermath, suggesting Arsenal had invited pressure from Manchester City, who earlier in the day secured a decisive 4-0 FA Cup victory over Liverpool. ‘We're going to say difficulty when we're going to play the Champions League quarter-finals and the run-up for the league.

Source: Metro April 04, 2026 22:51 UTC