Arsenal captain, Martin Odegaard, has urged his teammates to put their shock defeat to fourth-tier Fleetwood Town behind them and focus on their upcoming Premier League clash against Liverpool.
The Gunners were eliminated from the League Cup after losing 5-3 on penalties to Fleetwood following a 1-1 draw in regulation time at Highbury on Tuesday.
The result marked a stunning upset for the Premier League champions against their lower-league opponents.
Fleetwood took the lead through Aaron Loupalo-Bi in the first half before Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres restored parity after the break.
However, neither side could find a winner before the encounter went to a penalty shootout.
Arsenal midfielder Bruno Guimaraes had his spot-kick saved by Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch, while teenage defender Conor Haughey converted the decisive penalty to seal the hosts’ victory.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made nine changes to his starting line-up for the fourth-round fixture.
After a disappointing first-half display, the Spanish coach introduced Norway midfielder Odegaard for the second period in an attempt to improve his side’s performance.
Although Arsenal improved after the interval and created several opportunities, they failed to capitalise on their chances.
Their task became more difficult when teenage prospect Max Dowman was sent off five minutes before the end of normal time.
Speaking after the defeat, Odegaard expressed his disappointment with the team’s performance but acknowledged Fleetwood’s achievement.
“It’s very frustrating to go out,” Odegaard said. “Obviously, the way we’ve played was not on the level. We need to do much, much better than we did.
“Frustrating, but congratulations to Fleetwood and we look forward to the next game already and bounce back.
“They did well so we have to give them credit, but I think (it) was about us not being on our level, we need to do better. I thought we improved during the game, but again, we need to step up even more — so that’s a shame.”
The defeat leaves Arsenal, last season’s League Cup runners-up, with little time to recover before their Premier League trip to Liverpool on Sunday.
The Gunners head into the encounter level on points with league leaders Manchester City after last weekend’s results, making the upcoming fixture crucial to their title ambitions.
Odegaard insisted that the team must respond positively rather than dwell on their unexpected cup exit.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We need to move on — we have a big game at the weekend, so bouncing back at the weekend is all we can do now,” Odegaard added.
