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  "path": "/2026/03/22/micah-richards-names-arsenal-change-mikel-arteta-make-half-time-vs-man-city-27607302/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-22T21:49:47.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "Football",
    "Sport",
    "Antoine Semenyo",
    "Arsenal",
    "Carabao Cup",
    "Manchester City FC",
    "Micah Richards",
    "Mikel Arteta",
    "Piero Hincapie",
    "Manchester City",
    "Nico O’Reilly sealed a 2-0 victory for City at Wembley on Sunday",
    "Riccardo Calafiori",
    "Myles Lewis-Skelly",
    "Sign up here",
    "@metrosportuk",
    "kepa",
    "mancity",
    "carabaocup",
    "oreilly",
    "♬ original sound - Metro Sport",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source"
  ],
  "textContent": "Arteta resisted the urge to make the early change (Picture: Getty)\n\nMikel Arteta made a mistake not replacing Piero Hincapie at half-time in Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City, according to Micah Richards.\n\nA second-half brace from Nico O’Reilly sealed a 2-0 victory for City at Wembley on Sunday, dashing Arsenal’s hopes of winning an unprecedented quadruple this season.\n\nWith Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly named among the subs, Hincapie started at left-back, placing him up against Antoine Semenyo in City’s attack.\n\nWhile it was a foul on Matheus Nunes that led to his first-half booking, Semenyo tormented the Ecuador international in the opening period, repeatedly beating him down the right flank to create City’s best openings.\n\nIt continued in the second-half with Semenyo providing the cross that led to O’Rielly’s opening goal after Kepa Arrizabalaga spilled his cross.\n\nThe former Bournemouth star noted post-match Hincapie’s booking had the Arsenal star ‘backing off’ and ‘gave me the opportunity to drive at him’.\n\nArteta appeared to be considering replacing his summer signing early on with Calafiori spotted warming up midway through the first-half. The change did not come until after 65 minutes however with the damage already done.\n\n##  Your football fix\n\n**Metro** 's Head of Sport James Goldman delivers punchy analysis, transfer talk and his take on the week's biggest stories direct to your inbox every week.\n\nSign up here, it's an open goal.\n\nHincapie was run ragged by Semenyo (Picture: Getty)\n\nFormer City star Richards identified Hincapie’s reluctance to get tight on his man as a result of that first-half booking as a real problem, believing he should have been replaced at the break.\n\n‘You need to get tighter, and he could have got tighter if he wasn’t on that yellow card,’ Richards said.\n\n‘That’s the difference and that is why I think Arteta should have made the change at half time because when you are defending on a yellow card, you defend differently especially when you are up against someone like Semenyo on that right hand side.’\n\n##  Arsenal 0-2 Man City - Metro at the Match\n\nManchester City have secured the first silverware of the season after Arsenal failed to deliver at Wembley.\n\nThe quadruple dream is over and the Gunners must now pick up the pieces after a sobering setback.\n\nFor City, it has breathed life into their campaign after a dismal Champions League exit this week.\n\n> @metrosportuk\n>\n> Kepa won’t want to watch that one back 😬 Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final following a huge mistake from the Gunners’ goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, which lead to a quick brace from Nico O’Reilly. #kepa #arsenal #mancity #carabaocup #oreilly\n>\n> ♬ original sound - Metro Sport\n\n**Kepa gamble backfires spectacularly**\n\nMikel Arteta decided to keep faith in Kepa Arrizabalaga after starting the Spaniard in each round of the competition leading up to the final at Wembley today.\n\nPep Guardiola did likewise with James Trafford, but it was Arsenal who paid the price for dropping one of their best players. From the moment the second-half kicked off, Kepa dallied on the ball, inviting the pressure that would inevitably swarm all over the Gunners and trigger their downfall.\n\nRaya has been spectacular this season, the best goalkeeper in the Premier League by some margin and in sublime form. Had he started, Sunday may have been a very different story.\n\nArsenal still have plenty left to fight for (Picture: Getty)\n\n**Old Arsenal fears reignited**\n\nWe have seen Arsenal collapse in the past. Past failures have so often been used as a stick to beat them with but things have felt different this season.\n\nVictory today would have gone some way in erasing the lingering fears over another derailment . But defeat at Wembley could serve as a catalyst for something much bleaker.\n\nArteta got his biggest decision on the day wrong (Picture: Getty)\n\nArsenal are still fighting on three fronts, in control of the Premier League title race and well-placed to continue marching on in Europe. But the effects of today could be season-altering. The woeful second-half showing was as bad as anything served up by them this term on the stage where they needed to be their best.\n\n**O'Reilly steps up**\n\nCity needed a hero at Wembley and they found a home-grown one. With Phil Foden only coming on as an injury time substitute, left-back O'Reilly stepped up as City's savour with two headers to save their season.\n\nCity were fantastic in the second period to a man and fed off Arsenal's apprehension but it was the 21-year-old set the standard when they needed inspiration.\n\n**_Tony Mogan, live sports editor_**\n\nCity signed Semenyo for an initial £62million in the January transfer window with the Ghana international an instant hit in Manchester with seven goals to his name.\n\nAfter clinching his first trophy with the club, he told Sky Sports: ‘It feels like a fairy tale to be honest.\n\n‘But I’ve got a lot more to show. I want to play out wide, I want to play as a No9, I want to show how versatile I am and the help the team as much as I can.\n\n‘I’m enjoying my football and it can only get better.\n\n‘For me, it’s so personal, I’ve never won a trophy before. Give God all the glory.’\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "Micah Richards names Arsenal change Mikel Arteta had to make at half-time vs Man City"
}