Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his disappointment and took full responsibility for his team’s Carabao Cup exit in the fourth round after a 3-1 defeat by West Ham. Arteta made six changes to the starting lineup, including having key players like Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, and captain Martin Odegaard on the bench. The altered Arsenal lineup underperformed, and Arteta acknowledged that he bore the blame for the disappointing outcome.
Arteta stated, “I’m very disappointed. I’m responsible for that. We’re out of the Cup, we wanted to play a very different game and compete. The game took a direction because of the first goal, but we have to see much more from the team and earn the right to win. I’m disappointed with myself. We wanted to play in a different way, and we weren’t able to do that. Every time we lose, the pain is there. We have to use this pain and this defeat to prepare the best way for Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday.”
Below-Par Arsenal Knocked Out as West Ham Secures Victory
In the Carabao Cup fourth-round clash, West Ham emerged victorious, defeating Arsenal 3-1. The game’s momentum shifted in West Ham’s favor as they took the lead through an own goal in the 16th minute. Jarrod Bowen delivered a corner close to Arsenal’s goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, leading to Ben White inadvertently heading it into his own net. Ramsdale protested that Tomas Soucek had a hold of his shirt, but with no VAR available at this stage of the competition, his complaints went unheeded.
Despite Arsenal’s dominance in possession, they failed to break through. West Ham extended their lead five minutes into the second half when Mohammed Kudus brilliantly controlled Nayef Aguerd’s 50-yard cross-field pass and finished low through Gabriel’s legs.
West Ham secured their win just before the hour mark when Bowen capitalized on a poor defensive header from Ben White, volleying the ball into the net with a deflection off Gabriel’s thigh that wrong-footed Ramsdale.
Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard managed to score a late consolation goal with the final kick of the game, but the Gunners’ 30-year wait for a League Cup victory continues. West Ham advanced to the quarter-finals for the third consecutive season and will face Liverpool in the next round.
Return of Declan Rice to West Ham
One of the focal points of the match was the return of Declan Rice to West Ham for the first time since his summer transfer to Arsenal for a reported £105 million. Rice, who made nearly 250 appearances for West Ham and captained them to a Europa Conference League triumph in June, was met with a mix of ovation and anticipation by the home fans.
Arsenal started the game well, with West Ham failing to produce a shot in the first half despite taking the lead. Rice’s introduction to the game was met with a combination of boos and applause from the fans, and his first forward pass for Arsenal was overhit for a goal kick.
Shortly after Rice’s arrival, Arsenal fell further behind, and not even the late entrances of Saka, Odegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli could salvage their Carabao Cup campaign.
