Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard has called on his teammates to respond quickly following their shock elimination by Fleetwood, a team competing in the fourth tier of English football.
Arsenal have been knocked out of the English League Cup after losing 5–3 on penalties to Fleetwood. The fourth-round match, played at Fleetwood’s stadium, ended 1–1 after 90 minutes.
Fleetwood took the lead in the first half through Aaron Loupalo-Bi. Arsenal equalised in the second half through Viktor Gyökeres but were unable to find a winning goal.
In the penalty shootout, Bruno Guimarães failed to convert his spot-kick, with his effort saved by goalkeeper Jay Lynch. Young defender Conor Haughey scored the decisive penalty for Fleetwood.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made nine changes to his starting lineup, while Ødegaard came on in the second half. Despite an improved performance, the London side were unable to avoid elimination. Arsenal were also reduced to ten men in the closing minutes after young talent Max Dowman was sent off.
“It is very disappointing to be eliminated. The way we played was not at the level required. We have to do much better,” Ødegaard said.
He praised the opposition’s performance but stressed that Arsenal must focus on themselves and improve their game.
“We cannot feel sorry for ourselves. We have to move forward because we have a big match coming up this weekend. The only thing we can do now is respond,” the Norwegian captain added.
Arsenal, who finished as League Cup runners-up last season, must now prepare for a difficult clash against Liverpool on Sunday in the English league.
