LONDON, ENGLAND — Arsenal were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Fleetwood Town in an incredible upset on Tuesday evening. But that wasn’t their only humiliation of the night.
The reigning Premier League champions were beaten on penalties by their League Two opponents. It was one of the competition’s biggest-ever upsets.
The Carabao Cup Upset
Aaron Loupalo-Bi opened the scoring for Fleetwood in the first half. Viktor Gyokeres levelled for Arsenal in the 50th minute.
From there, it looked like Arsenal would go on to win. But they could not score again before the final whistle.
They were also reduced in numbers when Max Dowman was sent off in the closing stages of normal time. It meant that penalties were needed to determine a winner.
Fleetwood kept their cool under pressure to book their spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
The result marked one of the biggest cup shocks in English football history. It left Arsenal red-faced, with Mikel Arteta visibly furious during his post-match media interviews.
Under-21 Success
Not only were Arsenal upstaged by a League Two side, but they were also made to look silly by their own Under-21s.
The young Gunners were also in action on Tuesday night. They went up against AFC Wimbledon in the group stage of the Jersey Mike’s Trophy.
They ended up claiming all three points. Ethan Mooney’s double secured a 2-1 victory for David Horseman’s side at Plough Lane.
Wimbledon are in League One. This means Arsenal’s young stars managed to beat a team in a higher division than Fleetwood on the same night.
Arteta’s Reaction
Mikel Arteta named a rotated side for the trip to Highbury Stadium. But the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz, and Myles Lewis-Skelly all featured from the first whistle.
Speaking after the final whistle, the Arsenal boss pulled no punches.
“First of all, congratulations to Fleetwood because they are through. In the manner that they’ve done it, the atmosphere they’ve created, I have nothing to fault the players for in terms of their attitude, application, the intensity that they put in throughout the game,” Arteta said.
“After the goal that we conceded, they did it throughout the game, they did it with 11 players, with 10, so there is nothing there. But, when you are that superior, you give nothing to the opponent apart from the first action that we defended so poorly and we conceded the goal, and you generate so many situations, actions, volume of shots and chances in the opposition box.
“You have to score three, four or five and then you capitalise on that and you see the difference in the game. If you don’t, then there are no margins and that’s the reality, and then you have to wait and get through the round on penalties and we didn’t do that.
“So, the probability is always there. It was really low, the way the game was panning out, but it’s football and even with that really low probability, you can be out of the cup and we are.”
What This Means
The defeat is a significant setback for Arsenal. It ends their hopes of winning the Carabao Cup this season.
It also raises questions about the depth of their squad. The rotated side struggled to break down a lower-league opponent.
What Happens Next
Arsenal will return to Premier League action this weekend. They will be looking to bounce back from the disappointment.
For now, the focus is on the league and the Champions League. The Carabao Cup is no longer an option.
