Arsenal were eliminated from the Carabao Cup after a penalty shootout defeat to Fleetwood at Highbury, a result described as the biggest shock in the competition's history. Manager Mikel Arteta was left furious after youngster Max Dowman was sent off late on and Bruno Guimaraes missed the decisive spot-kick.
Red card and late drama
The talented prospect was dismissed in the closing stages following a reckless challenge, which sparked a mass confrontation between both teams. Arteta was visibly livid with the youngster's reaction.
The red card was not the only talking point in a dramatic cup encounter. Kick-off was pushed back by eight minutes due to a drone hovering over the ground. Once the action commenced, the hosts went ahead through Fulham loanee Aaron Loupalo-Bi.
The Gunners responded just minutes after the restart courtesy of Viktor Gyokeres, with Dowman getting his marching orders shortly before the match went to a penalty shootout. Guimaraes ultimately had his effort kept out, with Fleetwood securing a famous victory.
Hale End horror show
Substantial changes to the starting XI came as no surprise, with several academy products getting the nod from Arteta, including Max Dowman, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ceadach O'Neill and Marli Salmon. Dowman posed the biggest danger and nearly set up Gyokeres for the opener, but the Hungarian forward could not stretch far enough to connect with his delivery.
Defender Salmon endured a forgettable outing, arguably should have dealt better with Fleetwood's goal after being brushed aside by Loupalo-Bi, and was hauled off at half-time, with Ben White coming on in his place.
Gyokeres' goal drought drags on
A meeting with a League Two outfit ought to have been the ideal opportunity for Gyokeres to kickstart his campaign. The ex-Sporting Lisbon man had drawn a blank in all ten of his opening appearances this term.
He did find the net, but even that came courtesy of a scrappy effort as he threw a leg at the ball while tumbling to the ground, barely managing to prod it across the line. On this showing, neither he nor attacking partner Kai Havertz have made a convincing case to spearhead the attack in this weekend's showdown with Liverpool.
Arteta turns to his heavy hitters
Arteta would have been praying his troops cruised through without needing to call upon his more senior first-team regulars. Arsenal's display was so lacklustre that the Spanish boss was forced into action at half-time, bringing on captain Martin Odegaard and Ben White.
Bruno Guimaraes and Eberechi Eze were also thrown into the mix after the break. The substitutions had an immediate effect ahead of Gyokeres' equaliser, but Arsenal ultimately fell short of wrapping up victory within 90 minutes. It was one of his key players, Guimaraes, whose miss sent Arsenal crashing out of the cup.
