Arteta After Arsenal's Defeat by Fleetwood and Exit from League Cup: 'A Very Sad Day'

Arsenal’s Spanish manager, Mikel Arteta, said that his team’s exit from the English League Cup at the hands of fourth-tier side Fleetwood Town was “a very sad day,” after the English league champions suffered one of the most embarrassing results in their history.

Arteta acknowledged that his side had no excuse for the defeat, emphasizing that it was a painful moment during his tenure at the club.

He said: “First of all, I congratulate Fleetwood on reaching the next round. The way they achieved it, and for us, makes this a very sad day. There is nothing to criticize the players for in terms of spirit or commitment. The determination and desire were clear from the start, even when we played with ten men. But we conceded a very poor goal early on, which gave them momentum.”

He added: “This is football, and this is the beauty of this competition. It is a very sad day.”

Arsenal were eliminated from the competition in the fourth round, losing 5-3 on penalties in a major surprise after the match ended 1-1 after extra time. Brazilian Arsenal player Bruno Guimarães missed his penalty, which was saved by Jay Lynch, before Connor Halliday scored the winning spot-kick for Fleetwood. Aaron Loubser-Pienaar had given Fleetwood the lead in the first half, before Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres equalized after the break. Rising Arsenal talent Max Dowman, 16, was sent off for violent conduct in the closing stages.

Arteta paid the price for prioritizing next Sunday’s Premier League match against Liverpool, as his decision to make nine changes to the starting lineup backfired catastrophically.