A wasteful night at Highbury
Arsenal’s Carabao Cup run ended in the fourth round against League Two side Fleetwood Town. The tie finished 1-1, and Fleetwood won the shoot-out 5-3, according to [1]. Aaron Loupalo-Bi gave Fleetwood the lead in the 21st minute. Viktor Gyökeres equalised, and [2] notes it was his first goal of the season.
The numbers show how one-sided the match was. [3] reports 26 Arsenal shots and 78% possession. Mikel Arteta said the team had 19 shots off target and that Kai Havertz missed three or four top chances, per [4]. Two of those misses came in quick succession in the 59th minute.
The shoot-out went Fleetwood’s way when goalkeeper Jay Lynch saved Bruno Guimarães’ penalty. Illan Meslier, who made his Arsenal debut in goal ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga, took part in the shoot-out. Teenager Cedach O’Neill made his first start. The match was also halted for more than eight minutes after a drone flew over the stadium, as [5] reported.
Dowman’s red card and the suspension
The night’s biggest cost may be the dismissal of 16-year-old Max Dowman. He was sent off late in the game for violent conduct after allegedly kicking out at Fleetwood’s Harrison Neal, according to [2]. Arsenal finished with ten men.
As it stands, Dowman faces a three-match suspension. [6] says Arsenal plan to appeal. Whether the appeal succeeds will decide if he is available for the league trip to Liverpool.
The timing makes it harder for Arteta. A preview from [7] had suggested Bukayo Saka’s injury opened the door for Dowman to play regularly, and that he would be the creative focal point at Fleetwood. Instead, a promising run of games is now interrupted. A [8] piece also questions whether Arteta’s reaction to the red card was justified.
Thin on the wings
The injury list is the other problem. BBC Sport reports that Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Christos Tzolis are all out, which leaves Arsenal short of wide options for Sunday. Saka is expected to be out for around six weeks, and Arteta confirmed after the Fleetwood match that Madueke is unavailable. Tzolis is working to return to fitness.
With Dowman’s suspension added in, Arteta has fewer natural wide or creative attackers than he would want. The Fleetwood match suggests the finishing is a worry too. Arsenal created plenty and wasted much of it.
At the back, William Saliba remains out with a long-term back issue and has no return date, though he is doing individual training on grass, according to [9]. Gabriel Magalhães has been the regular central partner for Ezri Konsa, who has started six league matches and nine overall.
What it means
The cup exit hurts, but the league table tells a steadier story. Arsenal are second in the Premier League with 21 points from eight games: seven wins, no draws and one defeat, with 13 goals scored and five conceded. The defence is the foundation. The BBC notes five clean sheets in eight league games, more than any other team, and the fewest goals conceded.
Recent form backs this up. Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 at home on 24 October and Nottingham Forest 1-0 away on 18 October. In between they drew 2-2 at Bayern München in the Champions League, and before that they beat Lille 3-0 and Leeds United 2-1. That is a run of one defeat, in a cup, across their last five fixtures, which suggests the Fleetwood result was an off night rather than a trend.
The next fixture asks harder questions. Liverpool v Arsenal on 1 November, a Premier League match, comes with Saka, Madueke and Tzolis out, Dowman’s availability tied to an appeal, and Saliba still missing. Arsenal’s defensive record gives them a base to work from, but they will need to turn chances into goals more efficiently than they did at Highbury. The site’s forecast for the match locks 24 hours before kick-off.
Sources
- BBC Sport: Why did Fleetwood have to lose player for Arsenal penalty shootout? bbc.co.uk ↩
- Sky Sports: Arsenal dumped out of Carabao Cup by League Two Fleetwood skysports.com ↩
- BBC Sport: Dowman sees red as Arsenal dumped out, but did Arteta go too far? bbc.co.uk ↩
- Sky Sports: Arteta explains reaction to Dowman red card amid criticism skysports.com ↩
- BBC Sport: Fleetwood-Arsenal halted for eight minutes because of drone bbc.co.uk ↩
- BBC Sport: Arsenal to appeal against Dowman red card bbc.co.uk ↩
- Sky Sports: Carabao Cup: Arsenal should unleash Dowman as Liverpool-Chelsea clash skysports.com ↩
- BBC Sport: Dowman dismissal leaves Arsenal short - was Arteta's reaction harsh? bbc.co.uk ↩
- BBC Sport: No Saliba, no problem - Konsa stepping up for Arsenal bbc.co.uk ↩
