Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has called on his team to move quickly past their unexpected exit from the Carabao Cup following a penalty shootout defeat to Fleetwood Town. The Premier League champions were eliminated on Tuesday after the fourth-round match at Fleetwood’s Highbury stadium ended 1-1 in regular time. Arsenal lost 5-3 in the penalty shootout, with Bruno Guimaraes having his spot-kick saved before Fleetwood’s Conor Hague converted the decisive penalty.

Fleetwood, who play in the fourth tier of English football, took the lead through Aaron Loupalo-Bi in the first half, with Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres equalizing after the break. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made nine changes to his starting lineup, moving Odegaard on for the second half after a shaky first half by the visitors. Despite some improvement during the second period, Arsenal missed several opportunities and were reduced to 10 men when 16-year-old Max Dowman was sent off late in the match for kicking out following a heavy challenge from Fleetwood midfielder Harrison Neal.

Odegaard described the defeat as “very frustrating” and acknowledged that Arsenal’s performance was below their usual standards. “We need to do much, much better,” he said, while also praising Fleetwood’s display and conceding they deserved credit for their performance. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We need to move on — we have a big game at the weekend, so bouncing back is all we can do now.”

The Premier League champions face a challenging trip to Liverpool on Sunday, a venue where Arsenal have not won a league match since 2012. The cup loss leaves little time for reflection as Arsenal aim to maintain their position in the title race, having recently drawn level on points with league leaders Manchester City.

In the aftermath of the game, British media reported that Arsenal intended to appeal Dowman’s red card, hoping for a decision before the Liverpool match. Arteta was reportedly displeased with the sending off and gave the young player a stern talking-to as he left the field.

Arsenal’s early elimination from the competition marks a significant upset given the large gap between the two clubs' standings in the English football pyramid, underscoring the unpredictable nature of knockout tournaments. The team now looks ahead to refocus on their league campaign and upcoming fixtures.