Mikel Arteta has been taught a harsh lesson by his Carabao Cup team selection

Mikel Arteta has been dealt a harsh lesson by his team selection for Arsenal's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.

Nico O'Reilly scored twice to fire the Cityzens to their ninth League Cup crown, but plenty of the headlines will focus on the Gunners' poor performance, as well as the decisions Arteta made ahead of and during the game.

There's not much the Spaniard can do now, but he will have to take a look at the decisions he made and know he can't do the same again this season.

Mikel Arteta has been taught a harsh lesson by his Carabao Cup team selection

Ahead of the final, the big question was whether David Raya or Kepa Arrizabalaga would start in goal. The former has been his side's reliable number one all season, but his compatriot appeared throughout the entire competition.

It was Kepa who Arteta opted to name between the sticks and that proved to be the wrong decision. Most would assume that was the Gunners boss honouring his fellow Spaniard for his contributions on route to the final.

While you can't blame him for making such a choice, that proved to be the wrong call. The vast gap in quality between the two shotstoppers showed in the second-half when Kepa made multiple mistakes.

The former Chelsea man rushed out to claim a long ball, but messed it up and was forced to foul Jeremy Doku and was lucky it wasn't the denial of a goalscoring opportunity, but he did pick up a yellow card.

His worst moment then came for the first goal when he spilled a cross into the box, allowing Nico O'Reilly to rush in and head his side in front from the close range. He then conceded a second from the left back shortly after.

It was certainly admirable of Arteta to start Kepa, but in a moment where his team just needs to get over the line and win a much-needed trophy, Raya had to start. You can't help but feel those mistakes wouldn't have happened with the number one in goal.

The goalkeeper situation wasn't the only cause for concern as some players stayed on the pitch for far longer than they should have. Piero Hincapié and Leandro Trossard should have been taken off much sooner than they were while Bukayo Saka should have been withdrawn.

The pair that were taken off offered little for their side with the Ecuadorian struggling against Antoine Semenyo while on a booking and the Belgium international failing to make any real impact in attack.

After seeing two shots saved early on, Saka was frustratingly absent for the majority of the game and while he is the Gunners' starboy, he should not be immune to substitution in big games.

Going forward, Arteta has to prioritise winning silverware when selecting his team, before and during a game. It's harsh to criticise certain players, but when a team haven't won a trophy in such a long time, you have to play the best in each position.

The Carabao Cup final is a harsh lesson for the Spaniard, but he should learn from this ahead of a run-in that could still culminate in Arsenal winning three trophies.