Arsenal’s struggles continued as they exited yet another cup competition, marking the 13th time since winning the 2020 FA Cup that they have been eliminated.
The Gunners’ latest defeat came at St James’ Park, where they failed to score in both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final, leading Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville to label them “toothless” in attack. Newcastle United advanced to the Carabao Cup final with a commanding 2-0 victory in the second leg, resulting in a 4-0 aggregate win over Arsenal.
The Gunners, criticized for not signing a forward during the January transfer window, managed only 0.94 expected goals in a match where they needed to win by two or more goals to keep their hopes of silverware alive this season after already being eliminated from the FA Cup.
Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s only major trophy remains the 2020 FA Cup. Since then, they have been knocked out of every cup competition they have entered—13 in total—without reaching another final under his management.
The usually solid defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba struggled against Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, who had a goal disallowed before Jacob Murphy opened the scoring. Neville pointed out that Isak’s performance highlighted Arsenal’s lack of potency in attack compared to their opponents.
“This has put a spotlight on how toothless Arsenal’s forwards are compared to what we’re seeing at the other end,” Neville remarked.
He emphasized the need for Arsenal to strengthen their squad in the summer, stating, “That’s a given. They have to.”
Arteta acknowledged Newcastle’s superiority in both boxes over the two legs of the semi-final.
“We had high expectations of turning this around, but we couldn’t gain any momentum despite having some significant moments in the first half,” he said.
“We didn’t capitalize on our chances, and when they scored, it shifted the game.”
He noted that effective play in both boxes is crucial for winning trophies and lamented that Arsenal had not been effective against Newcastle.
“We were unsettled when the game became chaotic; we usually handle that better,” he added.
This defeat was particularly disappointing for Arsenal fans who had hoped for a strong cup run. With their attacking options under scrutiny, Arteta faces pressure to address these issues before the next season.
As Bournemouth prepares for their FA Cup match against Everton this Saturday, Arsenal must regroup and focus on their remaining competitions while reflecting on another missed opportunity for silverware.