da bet nacional： The Carabao Cup was never going to be the main priority for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal this season.
da realsbet： Indeed, the Gunners have bigger fish to fry, namely the Premier League and, of course, their first entry into the Champions League for several years.
The north Londoners are currently unbeaten in league action but on the continental stage and now in the League Cup, they have been below par, excusing the thrashing of PSV.
In Lens, Arsenal dominated the ball in the early exchanges but conceded in front of a raucous home crowd, eventually losing the game after the going got tough. The same occurred at the London Stadium on Wednesday evening.
In the early phases of the game Arteta's side had over 60% of the ball but couldn't turn that into anything of note in the final third. An own goal from Ben White set the tone and from that moment onwards, Arsenal looked rather spooked. Apt on Halloween week.
A delightful second from Mohammed Kudus, coincidentally a man linked with Arsenal in the summer, put the tie out of reach before Jarrod Bowen's deflected effort sprawled past Aaron Ramsdale, a man visibly lacking confidence in east London.
A 3-1 defeat means Arsenal aren't in the hat for the quarter-finals and with it could go Ramsdale's career at the Emirates Stadium. Since David Raya displaced him between the sticks the EFL Cup is the only competition the England stopper has gained any minutes in.
Aaron Ramsdale's stats vs West Ham
This was a tremendous night for Ramsdale to prove himself to everyone. Arteta has clearly doubted his abilities, as too have several pundits. That said, the fans have stuck by a player who has provided the club with some memorable moments since signing.
There is a reason he was among the nominees for the best goalkeeper in the world at the recent Ballon d'Or awards. Think of that sprawling save to deny Mo Salah at Anfield last term, and then that point-blank stop to deny Ibrahima Konate from the resulting set-play. It was Ramsdale at his brilliant and mesmerising best.
That said, on the ball he leaves something to be desired, as does his ability to come and claim crosses. Both of those flaws were in evidence against the Hammers in midweek.
Saves
1
Accurate Passes
19/26 (73%)
Long Ball Success
1/8
Aerial Duels Won
100%
High Claims
0
Stats via Sofascore.
Ramsdale may well have won his one and only registered aerial battle in the game, but had he been stronger, the former Sheffield United no.1 may well have been able to do something about White's own goal.
That sounds harsh, however, particularly when you consider that had VAR been in play it may have been ruled out. Tomas Soucek had a hold of the Englishman's shirt which prevented him from getting to the near post to punch away.
Beyond that, he ended the game with a dismal long pass success, picking out just 1/8, a nice clipped ball into Kai Havertz. There is a feeling as well that Ramsdale may have done better for Bowen's strike.
A quick deflection off Jakub Kiwior didn't help the ex-Bournemouth star but his attempts to save the shot were bizarre to say the least.
In fairness, any 'keeper would have struggled to keep out all three of the goals on Wednesday but on a night where Ramsdale simply needed an easy night and a confidence-boosting win, he was the biggest loser from the club's Carabao nightmare.
The stats that show why Raya is better than Ramsdale
Much has been made about just how good Raya is in comparison to Ramsdale. With the naked eye, it is perhaps difficult to tell where the differences lie.
After all, the Brentford loanee hasn't been error or incident-free since arriving through the doors in the summer.
It was the Spaniard's stray pass that led to Lens' equaliser in the Champions League. It was his nervy playing out from the back that nearly sparked Gary Neville to pass out on commentary during Arsenal's win over Manchester City, and it was Raya's peculiar punch that nearly landed in his own net in Seville a week prior.
Goals Conceded
4 (0.7 per game)
4 (1 per game)
Saves per game
1.3
1.3
Saves made
8
5
Successful run-outs
100%
100%
Goals prevented (xG)
1.30
-1.84
Pass Success
79%
77%
Accurate long balls
44%
33%
Clean sheets
4
1
Stats via Sofascore.
However, when you look at the numbers, it's clear why Arteta has been hellbent on picking the loanee ahead of Ramsdale.
Despite that rough opening 45 minutes against City, Raya has been superb with the ball at his feet, completing 79% of his passes and 93% of his passes inside Arsenal's half. His competition, meanwhile, has completed a worrying 60% of his passes throughout his two EFL Cup outings, and 90% of his passes inside their own half.
More stark has been the Spanish 'keeper's ability in the air, winning ten high claims and 100% of his aerial duels to Ramsdale's two in the Premier League.
This didn't particularly feel like a defining moment for the club's season, but it may well do for Ramsdale.
A move towards the exit door looms for the £24m man, whose chances of any minutes now are surely over. It's a sad end for one of the most likeable and bubbly personalities Arsenal have had in recent memory.