Fleetwood Town manager Matt Lawlor has praised Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for the way he handled one of the most embarrassing nights of his managerial career, after the League Two side knocked the Gunners out of the Carabao Cup.
“A Show of Class”
Speaking after the match, Lawlor revealed what happened when he met Arteta in the tunnel.
“He shook my hand two or three times, and he was really, really gracious,” Lawlor said, as reported by Yahoo Sports and Daily Cannon. “I can imagine it’s a really disappointing night for him, but the way that he acted with class is amazing there.”
The Fleetwood boss said he would love the chance to learn from the Spaniard. “I would love to catch up with him, pick his brain, and learn off the best. But he’s been really busy with media and all the emotion, like the crowd, so we’ve not managed to cross paths,” he said.
“But he said ‘well done’ in the tunnel briefly, and how well we did, and that was it. Obviously a show of class from him.”
How Fleetwood Stunned Arsenal
Fourth-tier Fleetwood beat Arsenal 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Highbury Stadium in Fleetwood on Tuesday night in the fourth round (last 16) of the Carabao Cup.
Aaron Loupalo-Bi gave the hosts a shock lead in the 21st minute before Viktor Gyökeres equalised early in the second half. Arsenal’s night got worse when teenage star Max Dowman was sent off in the 85th minute for kicking out after a challenge from Harrison Neal.
In the shootout, Fleetwood scored all five of their penalties through Ronan Coughlan, Harrison Neal, Will Davies, Andy Cannon and teenager Conor Haughey, who struck the winning kick. Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch saved from Bruno Guimarães, the only miss of the shootout.
History for Fleetwood
The win sends Fleetwood into the last eight of the League Cup for the first time in the club’s history. It ranks among the biggest shocks in the competition’s history, with a League Two side knocking out the English champions.
Arteta: “No Margins”
Arteta, whose side were without Declan Rice and Gabriel, said he could not fault his players’ attitude or intensity, but stressed that Arsenal needed to be more clinical. Without taking their chances, he said, “there are no margins.” Captain Martin Ødegaard admitted Arsenal were not at the level they needed to be.
Arsenal must now quickly regroup ahead of a huge Premier League clash away at Liverpool on Sunday.
Sources: Yahoo Sports, Daily Cannon, Inside World Football, Little Big Red Dot, VAVEL. Image: Wikimedia Commons (file photo of Mikel Arteta).