Arteta: Arsenal's exit from the League Cup was 'a very sad day'

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

Arteta’s team were eliminated from the competition in the fourth round, losing 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time, in a stunning upset.

Arsenal’s Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimarães saw his penalty saved by Jay Lynch, before Connor Halliday scored the winning spot-kick for Fleetwood.

Aaron Lobb-Collier had given Fleetwood the lead in the first half, before Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres equalized after the break.

Arsenal’s rising talent Max Dowman, 16, was shown a red card for violent conduct in the final minutes.

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

The Gunners’ manager acknowledged that his team had no excuse for the exit, confirming that the incident was a painful moment during his tenure at the club.

Arteta 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.”

He added, “Clearly, we dominated possession, created many chances, and took many shots. If you want to settle the matter and avoid penalties, you have to take advantage of those opportunities. And we didn’t.”