Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta still believes his side can reach the Carabao Cup final – but says his players must first master the “difficult” ball used in the competition.

The Gunners lost 2-0 to Newcastle in the semi-final first leg on Tuesday after goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon.

Arsenal fired 23 shots during the game but only three found the target as Gabriel Martinelli hit the post and Kai Havertz headed a simple chance wide.

When asked about the missed chances in his post-match press conference, Arteta said he would not tell his players to change anything but did mention the impact the ball had.

“We hit a lot of balls over the bar and it’s difficult for those balls to fly a lot, so there are details we can do better,” he said.

“But in the end it’s over – there’s no turning back, it’s about the next game and that’s our world, the reality is our world.”

“It’s half time right now. When I see how the team plays and how we deal with a lot of situations and play against a very good team, I have to say that I have full confidence that we can go out there and do it.”

Before the defeat to Newcastle, the Gunners had scored 11 goals in three EFL Cup games so far this season.

The ball in the competition is manufactured by Puma, while the ball used in the Premier League is manufactured by Nike.

“It’s just different,” Arteta said when asked to elaborate on the ball.

“It’s very different to a Premier League ball and you have to get used to it because it flies differently.”

“When you touch it, the grip is completely different, so you adapt to it.”