Kepa Arrizabalaga was Arsenal’s League Cup quarter-final hero on Tuesday with the decisive penalty shoot-out save that completed a miserable evening for Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix.
Lacroix’s own-goal put Arsenal ahead with 10 minutes left at the Emirates Stadium before Marc Guehi snatched Palace’s stoppage-time equalizer in the 1-1 draw.
That set the stage for a shoot-out in which both teams scored their first seven penalties.
Photo: AP
William Saliba converted Arsenal’s eighth kick and Kepa dived to his right to save Lacroix’s effort and secure an 8-7 victory.
It was a cathartic moment for the Spanish goalkeeper, who infamously refused to be substituted before Chelsea’s League Cup final penalty shoot-out defeat against Manchester City in 2018-2019.
Kepa also missed a spot-kick in the Blues’ 2021-2022 League Cup final shoot-out loss to Liverpool.
“Emotionally, you have to be focused, be strong,” Kepa told Arsenal’s official Web site. “Because obviously when you concede in the last minute and then you have to go to penalties, you need to be 100 percent focused on your penalty takers you need to save.”
“So it was a change of mindset, and it worked,” he said. “And then credit to the guys, they took amazing penalties. They keep us in the game, and they give me an opportunity to make a save.”
The Gunners are to play London rivals Chelsea in the semi-finals over two legs next month and in February, with Manchester City facing holders Newcastle United in the other last-four clash.
“We generated a lot and should have scored many more goals. When you don’t close the games, it can always happen that you concede,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said. “We had some big individual performances. Kepa, his level of commitment with the group is just incredible.”
Arsenal are into the League Cup semi-finals for a second successive year as they chase their first trophy since winning the FA Cup in 2019-2020.
The north Londoners have only won the League Cup twice, with their last triumph coming in 1992-1993, before any of their current squad were born.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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