Arteta Rues Missed Chances After Arsenal's Shock League Cup Exit
Mikel Arteta said he could not fault his players' fight after the penalty shoot-out exit to Fleetwood Town, insisting Arsenal paid for their missed chances.
Mikel Arteta said he was satisfied with his players' effort and commitment despite Arsenal's shock EFL Cup exit at the hands of Fleetwood Town.
Last season's finalists Arsenal crashed out of the competition early as League Two side Fleetwood, of English football's fourth tier, pulled off a historic upset. With the match at Highbury Stadium level at 1-1 after normal time, Fleetwood prevailed 5-3 in the penalty shoot-out to book their place in the next round.
The hosts went ahead in the 21st minute through Aaron Loupalo-Bi, before Arsenal drew level through Viktor Gyökeres early in the second half. Fleetwood defended their goal successfully for the rest of the match and took the tie to penalties. Young Arsenal player Max Dowman was sent off in the closing minutes, and in the shoot-out goalkeeper Jay Lynch saved Bruno Guimaraes's effort before Conor Haughey converted the decisive spot-kick to become the hero of the night.
Speaking after the match, Mikel Arteta insisted his side had not lacked the desire to win:
"First of all, congratulations to Fleetwood for what they have achieved, for winning the game and going through, and for the fantastic atmosphere they created. It's a really sad day for us. But I can't criticise the players' attitude; I didn't see anyone out there who failed to show the fight this level demands. We had a lot of the ball, we got into countless positions and we took a lot of shots. If you don't want to leave it to penalties, you have to take those chances, and we didn't. There was no problem in terms of fight and the will to win, but we fell short in the other things that are reflected in the scoreline."
Arsenal fired a total of 26 shots, 7 of them on target, and generated 2.21 expected goals (xG), with Kai Havertz squandering big opportunities and goalkeeper Lynch standing tall to deny Ben White's late effort. Fleetwood, meanwhile, finished the match with just 3 shots worth only 0.26 xG.
Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor, whose side reached the quarter-finals after beating a Premier League club for the first time in their history, also shared his emotions after the historic win:
"We're not arrogant enough to think we could blow the best team in the country off the pitch. We knew we needed luck on our side, to close down the spaces and to restrict their passing options. We did that brilliantly for large parts of the game. I'm so happy for my players, for what they're feeling and for what this win means to our town and our club."