Mikel Arteta has insisted he “cannot fault” the attitude of his Arsenal players after a Carabao Cup fourth-round defeat on penalties to Fleetwood Town.
The League Two side, who sit 18th in the fourth tier, knocked out last season’s finalists after a shoot-out on Tuesday night.
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Fleetwood arrived as specialists from the spot. According toOpta, they have now won their last four penalty shoot-outs in all competitions, converting each of their last 16 spot-kicks across those shoot-outs.
Before the game, Arteta had warned that Arsenal could not drop their standards if they were to avoid an upset, but saw his side crash out of the competition in a huge upset.
Speaking after the final whistle,Arteta congratulated the hosts and defended his squad’s effort.
“Congrats to Fleetwood, it’s a sad day for us. But I cannot fault at all the attitude of the players. I haven’t seen anybody not doing what is required at this level.”
The Arsenal manager also declined to give an immediate verdict on the red card shown toMax Dowman during the tie. The 16-year-old was sent off after reacting to a robust from Fleetwood midfielder Harrison Neal. Dowman thrust a knee at Neal, who had slid in on the teenager on the touchline.
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“Max Dowman’s red card? I prefer to watch it back properly, and then I can assess the situation. We learn from everything.”
Arteta pointed to Arsenal’s dominance of the ball and the volume of chances they created as evidence that his side had done enough to progress on another night.
“We insisted so much, we had so much of the ball, so many chances, so many shots. This is football.
Arsenal’s exit continues a poor record in theLeague Cup
