At A Glance:
- Arsenal were denied their first chance of winning silverware on Sunday afternoon.
- Manchester City ran out 2-0 victors thanks to a Nico O’Reilly brace.
- In the aftermath, Rio Ferdinand has claimed one Gunners star is ‘best in the world’.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal lost their first chance of winning silverware in the 2025/26 season on Sunday afternoon as Manchester City ran triumphant in the Carabao Cup final thanks to two goals from Nico O’Reilly.
Of course, the Gunners are still fighting on three fronts – in the Premier League, in the Champions League and the FA Cup – and will now be focusing on the upcoming fixtures.
Next up for Arteta’s men is a trip down south to face Southampton in the FA Cup before visiting Sporting CP at Europe’s top table.
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The fall-out from the Wembley showpiece has focused on whether Arsenal have the minerals to win trophies after going so long without one – but Rio Ferdinand has claimed they have a player who is the best in his position.
‘Best in world football – Ferdinand singles out Arsenal star
O’Reilly was the star of the show on Sunday: the young left-back scored twice – within four minutes between the 60th and 64th minute – and both goals went unanswered by the Premier League table toppers.
But Ferdinand claimed that Arsenal do possess talent, notably in the goalkeeper department with David Raya.
“We can talk about Kepa’s mistake but those can happen in any game,” the former defender said on his podcast. “But more than anything he was the biggest issue in terms of Arsenal getting through the press.
“I think right now David Raya is the best goalkeeper in world football and if he plays, his distribution would have been a big, big factor in that game.”
Pre-match, it was reported that Arteta had stuck by his decision to pick back-up goalkeeper Kepa over Raya pre-match but a mistake from the former proved that it was a poor decision.
“He would have played over Man City’s press, he would have played through at times, he would have taken risks and would have been able to put the element of doubt into City’s press.
“Giving an opposition that kind of mindset makes them less convinced sometimes and gives them less conviction when they’re trying to carry out Pep’s tactical approach. Arsenal didn’t deal with that bit of pressure one bit,” Ferdinand said.
Watch Rio Ferdinand’s thoughts on David Raya below (2:50 onwards):
Why David Raya will be pivotal to Arsenal’s 2025/26 success
Something that doesn’t need to affirmed is Raya’s importance to Arsenal and their title pursuit this season. As noted earlier, the Gunners are still chasing a treble.
Looking to follow in the footsteps of Manchester United and City, will Arteta’s men win all three trophies between now and the summer?
With Raya inbetween the sticks, there is a chance as he leads Europe’s leading shot stoppers with a remarkable clean sheet record.
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The 30-year-old Spaniard, who arrived from Brentford after a season-long loan in 2023/24, has played 40 times for the Gunners this term.
In that time, he has kept 21 clean sheets and conceded just 25 goals – and being defensively solid will be crucial to Arsenal’s exploits. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes feel more comfortable with Raya behind them.
