‘You have to keep cold’ – Kepa Arrizabalaga explains penalty shootout mindset after Palace win

Kepa Arrizabalaga said composure was the key to his shootout heroics after Arsenal edged past Crystal Palace on penalties to reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Tuesday night.

The Arsenal goalkeeper proved decisive at the Emirates Stadium, saving Maxence Lacroix’s spot kick after a marathon shootout to send the Gunners into the final four, where they will face Chelsea.

Arsenal looked set to progress in normal time after taking a late lead through a Maxence Lacroix own goal. However, Palace defender Marc Guéhi struck in second-half stoppage time to force a penalty shootout in the quarter-final tie.

With no extra time in the Carabao Cup, the match went straight to penalties. After 16 spot kicks, it was Kepa who made the difference, denying Lacroix from 12 yards to spark celebrations in north London.

The Spaniard, who joined Arsenal from Chelsea for £5m in the summer after an impressive loan spell at Bournemouth, was immediately mobbed by teammates following the decisive save.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Kepa Arrizabalaga explained his mindset during the shootout.

“You have to keep cold and think of the next one,” Kepa said. “Don’t lose your focus because as soon as you save one, maybe it’s decisive.”

The goalkeeper also reflected on Arsenal’s overall performance, admitting there were lessons to take despite the victory.

“We should take some of the opportunities we had in the first half. We played so well,” he added.
“Then they changed and adapted a little bit and the second half was more 50-50.

“Even then we had big chances. It’s something we have to improve. We conceded in a couple of games in the last minute and that is something we have to focus on.”

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta echoed those sentiments, feeling his side should have wrapped up the tie earlier.

“I was really happy. Obviously, we are where we wanted to be – in the semi-final,” Arteta told ITV.
“We generated a lot of chances and I think the margin should have been bigger.

“When it’s not, after 94 or 95 minutes at this level, any set piece can cost you – and it cost us.”

Arteta was full of praise for his players’ composure in the shootout, however.

“The penalties were unbelievable,” he said. “Very different, all of them, but the players showed great composure and quality. At the end, Kepa did what he had to do to help us go through.”

Arsenal’s reward is a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea, Kepa’s former club. Before then, the Gunners return to Premier League action this weekend away to Brighton, followed by a home clash with Aston Villa.

Progress in the cup means a hectic start to 2026 awaits Arteta’s side, with nine matches scheduled in January across domestic and European competitions.

For now, though, Arsenal can savour a dramatic night at the Emirates — and a goalkeeper who kept his nerve when it mattered most.

Can Kepa’s penalty heroics be the spark that drives Arsenal to Carabao Cup glory?