It was a nightmarish evening for Arsenal in the League Cup as they were knocked out by Fleetwood Town. The Premier League champions lost on penalties in one of the biggest cup upsets English football has ever seen.
Goals in each half from Aaron Loupalo-Bi and Viktor Gyokeres saw normal time end all square at 1-1. The Gunners were also reduced to 10 men after Max Dowman, one of the best young players in world football, was sent off in the 86th minute.
There was no extra-time, so the game went directly to penalties. Despite starting the match 84 places below their opponents in the English pyramid, Fleetwood held their nerve. Indeed, the League Two team scored all five spot-kicks, progressing to the next round after Bruno Guimaraes saw his effort saved.
Mikel Arteta Praised by Fleetwood Manager Matt Lawlor
REUTERS/Jon Super
During the game, Mikel Arteta appeared to lose his cool when Dowman was sent off. The Arsenal boss appeared to shout something at the teenager, scalding the 16-year-old as he walked off the pitch, and he was later asked what he said to Dowman after the red card.
With that in mind, and then the resulting penalty shootout loss, many might expect the Spanish coach to have been quite the sore loser at full-time. However, it seems he was the exact opposite, and has been lauded for being ‘gracious’ in defeat.
That is the verdict of Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor, who praised Arteta for his behaviour in the tunnel after the shock result. The coach explained to the press:
“We’ve not managed to cross paths, but he said well done in the tunnel briefly and how well we did, which is obviously a show of class from him.
“He shook my hand two or three times and he was really, really gracious. I can imagine it’s a really disappointing night for him,” said Lawlor.
“But the way that he acted there, with class, is amazing. I would love to catch up with him and pick his brains, but he’s been really busy with media and all the emotions that come with it.”
Arteta Showed Class in Press Conference After League Cup Exit
Arteta is known for his passionate and at times prickly personality, as evidenced by the encounter with Dowman. That said, as he’s grown in managerial experience, he often displays calm in his press conferences in adverse situations.
The Fleetwood defeat was another example, as he spoke with great respect for the club, praising their efforts as they kept out his team: “First of all, congratulations to Fleetwood. In the manner they did it, the atmosphere they created.
“I have nothing to fault the players for their attitude and intensity throughout the game, with 11 and with 10, but when you are playing in that superior way, you have to give nothing to the opponent.
“When we create the volume of shots and chances we did, you have to score three, four or five. You capitalise on it. If you don’t, there are no margins and that’s the reality. Then you have to wait and get through the round on penalties and we didn’t do that.
“The probability was low with the way the game was panning out, but it’s football and still with low probability, there is always a chance you could be out of the cup. We are extremely sad – but at the same time we need to congratulate the opponent.”
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