Arsenal suffered a stunning Carabao Cup exit. They lost on penalties to League Two side Fleetwood Town 5-3 in the fourth round at Highbury Stadium. A 1-1 draw meant Arsenal had to go to penalties. Teenager Max Dowman was sent off five minutes from the end of the game.
Fleetwood, in 18th place in League Two, took an early lead, but Viktor Gyokeres scored his first goal of the season to bring them level. However, neither team could find a winning goal. Fleetwood held their composure to win the penalty shootout after Bruno Guimaraes missed his spot-kick. The game was also paused for two minutes due to a drone flying around the ground.
Despite a heavy rotation by Mikel Arteta, Kai Havertz, Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Jurrien Timber all started. Martin Odegaard and Ben White were brought on during the half-time break, followed by Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa and Eberechi Eze. But overall the Evening Standard said Arsenal put in an “incredibly bad performance” over the course of the 90 minutes.
Max Dowman red card and Mikel Arteta’s reaction
Dowman, 16, had been among Arsenal’s better players, creating chances for Havertz and Timber with dangerous crosses. He was shown a straight red card after reacting angrily to a heavy challenge from Harrison Neal and kicking out at the defender, though the force was minimal. It was his second red card this month, after a dismissal for the England Under-19s.
As Dowman walked off, Arteta was seen leaning towards him and delivering furious words. Asked what he said, the Arsenal manager told BBC Radio 5 Live it was “something that we discussed already before the match”. Suggesting the teenager had been warned to expect rough treatment. Arteta said he had not seen the red card back and that the referee’s decision stood. Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson was critical of how the Arsenal boss reacted to Dowman.
Arteta praises Fleetwood Town and defends Arsenal’s attitude
Arteta congratulated Fleetwood Town on the atmosphere they created. He said he could not fault his players’ attitude and intensity, with 11 men or 10. “When we create the volume of shots and chances we did, you have to score three, four or five,” he said. He added that even with ten men Arsenal had three big chances.
He called the unpredictability of cup football part of English football’s history, saying Arsenal were “extremely sad” to be on the wrong side of it.
Several squad members were absent. Riccardo Calafiori was out, and Noni Madueke had an ankle problem. Declan Rice was substituted in the previous game because of a concern.
What next for Arsenal?
Arsenal’s Carabao Cup dream of a first League Cup win since 1993 is over. Attention now turns to a huge Premier League trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday. Fleetwood, meanwhile, can celebrate a famous giant-killing and wait for the quarter-final draw.
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