Arteta describes Arsenal's exit from the ((League Cup)) as a sad day

Arsenal's Brazilian player Bruno Guimarães missed his penalty kick after it was saved by Jay Lynch, before Connor Haughey scored the winning penalty for Fleetwood.

Aaron Loppolo-Bee had given Fleetwood the lead in the first half, before Swedish player Viktor Gyökeres equalized after the break.

Arsenal's rising talent Max Dowman (16 years old) received a red card for violent conduct in the final minutes.

Arteta paid the price for prioritizing Sunday's Premier League match against Liverpool, as his decision to make nine changes to the lineup backfired catastrophically.

The "Gunners" manager admitted that his team had no excuses for the exit, confirming that what happened was a painful moment during his time with the club.

Arteta said, "First, I congratulate Fleetwood on qualifying for the next round. The way they achieved it, and for us, makes this a very sad day."

He added, "Obviously, we had a lot of possession, created many chances, and shot a lot, and if you want to settle things and not go to penalties, you have to take those chances. We didn't do that."

The former assistant coach to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City continued, "There is nothing to criticize the players for in terms of spirit or commitment. The desire and determination were clear from the beginning, even when we played with ten men. But we conceded a very poor goal early on that gave them momentum."

He continued, "This is football, and this is the beauty of this competition. It is a very sad day."

Arsenal had equaled the points tally of leaders Manchester City in the league after their 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday.

But instead of extending a streak of 11 wins in their last 13 matches, Arteta's team returned to North London embarrassed after a loss that ranks among the darkest days in the club's storied history.

Arteta said, "There is absolutely no problem regarding the fighting spirit. Otherwise, I would be very angry right now. I am sad and I think we are all sad. We have a great responsibility to represent this badge in the best possible way."

He added, "When you don't capitalize on your chances, you don't deserve to qualify for the next round. Unfortunately, we are out."

Although the decision to send off Dowman seemed harsh after his attempt to kick Harrison Neal, Arteta was not satisfied with the 16-year-old player and directed firm words at him as he left the pitch.

When asked what he said to Dowman, he replied, "This is something we talked about before the match. It is difficult to see the incident clearly through the cameras in this way, so I prefer to review it well first and then assess the situation."