Arsenal’s 3–1 loss against Brighton, the manager defends the goalkeeper.

Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, defended his decision to use rookie goalkeeper Karl Hein after the Gunners were eliminated by Brighton on Wednesday night at the Emirates.

Eddie Nketiah gave Arsenal the lead, but Brighton quickly answered with three goals from Danny Welbeck, Tariq Lamptey, and Kaoru Mitoma to knock Arteta’s team out of the Carabao Cup.

Ten changes were made from Arsenal’s last game by Arteta, with Hein receiving the start over Matt Turner, the club’s backup goalkeeper, who remained on the bench.

The 20-year-old Estonian’s decision to stumble while attempting to retrieve the ball resulted in a foul on Danny Welbeck and the consequent award of a penalties, which the Brighton striker successfully converted.

When questioned about his decision to start the inexperienced Hein in his post-game news conference, Arteta of Spain justified his selection, saying that the young player deserved a chance.

Arteta declared:

“I believe Karl Hein deserves the opportunity. At his age, it’s unusual for him to be the starting goaltender for the national team.

“I will play him again if I had to tomorrow. Errors occur often in football.