diff --git a/api/filters/replacement/replacement.go b/api/filters/replacement/replacement.go
index a9330fa1467..5ad976ff84d 100644
--- a/api/filters/replacement/replacement.go
+++ b/api/filters/replacement/replacement.go
@@ -4,13 +4,13 @@
 package replacement
 
 import (
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/api/internal/utils"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/api/resource"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/api/types"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/kyaml/errors"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/kyaml/resid"
 	kyaml_utils "sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/kyaml/utils"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/kyaml/yaml"
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ func getRefinedValue(options *types.FieldOptions, rn *yaml.RNode) (*yaml.RNode,
 func applyReplacement(nodes []*yaml.RNode, value *yaml.RNode, targetSelectors []*types.TargetSelector) ([]*yaml.RNode, error) {
 	for _, selector := range targetSelectors {
 		if selector.Select == nil {
-			return nil, errors.New("target must specify resources to select")
+			return nil, errors.Errorf("target must specify resources to select")
 		}
 		if len(selector.FieldPaths) == 0 {
 			selector.FieldPaths = []string{types.DefaultReplacementFieldPath}
@@ -191,6 +191,9 @@ func copyValueToTarget(target *yaml.RNode, value *yaml.RNode, selector *types.Ta
 			if createErr != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("error creating replacement node: %w", createErr)
 			}
+			if createdField == nil {
+				return errors.Errorf("unable to find or create field %s in replacement target", fp)
+			}
 			targetFields = append(targetFields, createdField)
 		} else {
 			// may return multiple fields, always wrapped in a sequence node
@@ -202,6 +205,9 @@ func copyValueToTarget(target *yaml.RNode, value *yaml.RNode, selector *types.Ta
 			if err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("error fetching elements in replacement target: %w", err)
 			}
+			if len(targetFields) == 0 {
+				return errors.Errorf("unable to find field %s in replacement target", fp)
+			}
 		}
 
 		for _, t := range targetFields {
diff --git a/api/krusty/replacementtransformer_test.go b/api/krusty/replacementtransformer_test.go
index 5f57082ec96..e71f09b9ffd 100644
--- a/api/krusty/replacementtransformer_test.go
+++ b/api/krusty/replacementtransformer_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ package krusty_test
 import (
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	kusttest_test "sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/api/testutils/kusttest"
 )
 
@@ -546,3 +547,103 @@ metadata:
   name: red-dc6gc5btkc
 `)
 }
+
+func TestIssue4761_path_not_in_target_with_create_true(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.MakeEnhancedHarness(t)
+	defer th.Reset()
+
+	th.WriteF("resources.yaml", `
+---
+apiVersion: networking.istio.io/v1alpha3
+kind: EnvoyFilter
+metadata:
+  name: request-id
+spec:
+  configPatches:
+    - applyTo: NETWORK_FILTER
+    - applyTo: NETWORK_FILTER
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: istio-version
+  annotations:
+    config.kubernetes.io/local-config: true
+data:
+  ISTIO_REGEX: '^1\.14.*'
+`)
+
+	th.WriteK(".", `
+resources:
+- resources.yaml
+
+replacements:
+  - source:
+      kind: ConfigMap
+      name: istio-version
+      fieldPath: data.ISTIO_REGEX
+    targets:
+      - select:
+          kind: EnvoyFilter
+        fieldPaths:
+          - spec.configPatches.0.match.proxy.proxyVersion
+          - spec.configPatches.1.match.proxy.proxyVersion
+          - spec.configPatches.2.match.proxy.proxyVersion
+          - spec.configPatches.3.match.proxy.proxyVersion
+        options:
+          create: true
+`)
+
+	err := th.RunWithErr(".", th.MakeDefaultOptions())
+	require.EqualError(t, err, "unable to find or create field spec.configPatches.2.match.proxy.proxyVersion in replacement target")
+}
+
+func TestIssue4761_path_not_in_target_with_create_false(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.MakeEnhancedHarness(t)
+	defer th.Reset()
+
+	th.WriteF("resources.yaml", `
+---
+apiVersion: networking.istio.io/v1alpha3
+kind: EnvoyFilter
+metadata:
+  name: request-id
+spec:
+  configPatches:
+    - applyTo: NETWORK_FILTER
+    - applyTo: NETWORK_FILTER
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: istio-version
+  annotations:
+    config.kubernetes.io/local-config: true
+data:
+  ISTIO_REGEX: '^1\.14.*'
+`)
+
+	th.WriteK(".", `
+resources:
+- resources.yaml
+
+replacements:
+  - source:
+      kind: ConfigMap
+      name: istio-version
+      fieldPath: data.ISTIO_REGEX
+    targets:
+      - select:
+          kind: EnvoyFilter
+        fieldPaths:
+          - spec.configPatches.0.match.proxy.proxyVersion
+          - spec.configPatches.1.match.proxy.proxyVersion
+          - spec.configPatches.2.match.proxy.proxyVersion
+          - spec.configPatches.3.match.proxy.proxyVersion
+        options:
+          create: false
+`)
+
+	err := th.RunWithErr(".", th.MakeDefaultOptions())
+	require.EqualError(t, err, "unable to find field spec.configPatches.0.match.proxy.proxyVersion in replacement target")
+}