Arteta calls Arsenal’s Carabao Cup defeat by Fleetwood Town a ‘very sad day’

Mikel Arteta described Arsenal’s shock Carabao Cup exit against Fleetwood Town as a “very sad day” after the fourth-tier side won their fourth-round tie on penalties.

Fleetwood Town secured a 5-3 victory in the shootout after Arsenal were unable to find a winning goal during normal time. Bruno Guimaraes saw his penalty saved by the Fleetwood goalkeeper, while the League One side converted all of their attempts to claim a notable result and eliminate Arsenal from the competition.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after the match, in comments reported by Tribuna, Arsenal manager Arteta congratulated Fleetwood on reaching the next round.

“First of all, congratulations to Fleetwood for qualifying for the next round,” he said. “For the way they achieved it, and for us, it’s a very sad day.”

Fleetwood took the lead in the 21st minute, with Arsenal having to wait until the second half to level the match.

The Gunners continued to search for a decisive goal before the final whistle, but could not convert their opportunities. The tie therefore went to penalties, where Fleetwood completed the upset by scoring every one of their spot-kicks.

Arteta said he had no complaints about the attitude or commitment shown by his players during the match.

“There is nothing to criticise the players for in terms of their attitude and commitment,” he added. “The determination was clear from the start. Even after we went down to 10 players, we conceded a really poor goal early on, which gave them some momentum.”

The Arsenal manager felt his team had created enough chances to win the game, despite being reduced to 10 men.

“The team kept trying with the ball, creating chances and shots that should have helped us score many more goals,” he said.

However, Arteta acknowledged that Arsenal’s failure to make the most of those opportunities had ultimately proved decisive.

“But when you don’t take your chances, you cannot qualify for the next round,” he said. “Unfortunately, we are out of the competition.”

The result represents a dramatic early exit for Arsenal, who were unable to recover after conceding first and then failed to settle the contest during the shootout.

The fixture information accompanying the report listed Fleetwood in the English League Third Division on 31 October 2026. It also listed Bristol Rovers and Liverpool in connection with the Premier League on 1 November 2026, alongside Arsenal.