The Arsenal Debrief: Here are some key talking points and items after Arsenal's shock Carabao Cup exit at the hands of League Two minnows Fleetwood Town

Arsenal have been left to lick their wounds following their gut-wrenching Carabao Cup penalty shootout defeat to Fleetwood Town at Highbury Stadium.

Aaron Loupalo-Bi had fired the hosts ahead on 21 minutes before the Premier League champions hit back through Viktor Gyokeres, who turned in for the equaliser after the half-time whistle.

Here are several talking points and items on the back of the embarrassing loss, which now belongs to the history books as The Codd Army came up trumps on a famous night on the Lancashire coast.

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What Arteta said in tunnel

Mikel Arteta has been praised by Fleetwood Town boss Matt Lawlor for showcasing his class in defeat. The Arsenal manager is understood to have reached out to Lawlor in the tunnel after the match to congratulate the League Two minnows on their historic victory.

The latter said: "He shook my hand two or three times and he was really, really gracious. I can imagine it's a really disappointing night for him.

"But the way that he acted there, with class, is amazing. I would love to catch up with him and pick his brains but he's been really busy with media and all the emotions that come with it.

"We've not managed to cross paths but he said well done in the tunnel briefly and how well we did which is obviously a show of class from him."

Arteta also praised Fleetwood in his post-match huddle plus TV and radio interviews, showing his class as a boss, too.

Why Dowman angered Arteta

What you see is what you get with Mikel Arteta. If he is angry, you will know about it. While surprisingly, he didn't criticise his players following their catastrophic defeat in Lancashire, it was clear he was infuriated by Dowman's red card.

The 16-year-old kicked out following Harrison Neal's full-blooded challenge but dismissing Dowman still felt somewhat farfetched and didn't entirely offer a true reflection of exactly what happened during the incident.

In that moment, he showcased his inexperience and post-match Arteta seemed to make it clear he had repeatedly warned the teenager about Fleetwood trying to provoke him. It appears the record-breaking gem fell for the trap.

That is why Arteta leant over and said something viciously in the direction of Dowman as he walked down the tunnel. He was frustrated as he felt he'd briefed his player on what was to follow.

"When we prepared the context of the match, we were very clear on the things to expect," Arteta explained. "The things that emotionally we have to dominate and it was very clear."

When asked what he said to Dowman, Arteta responded coyly: "Yes, something that we discussed before the game."

More talks are expected to follow between the pair because Dowman's red will now become a prominent topic on the back of his recent red card for England U19s against the United States.

Calafiori doubt for Liverpool

When asked by footballl.london about the players Arsenal kept at home on Tuesday evening, Arteta indicated he had fitness problems to content with.

He explained, speaking after the penalty shootout defeat to Fleetwood: "[Riccardo] Calafiori was out, Noni [Madueke] was out with an ankle and Declan [Rice] was finished with a problem the other day. That's why I had to substitute him."

Rice was pictured training on Monday but did not attend the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London and football.london understands Calafiori is a doubt to face Liverpool.

Sources remain tight-lipped on the exact location of the injury but Calafiori held his hip following a collision after coming off the bench against Everton and also gripped his side/stomach.

He is now in a race against the clock to prove his fitness in time to face the Reds, though at this moment in time, there is genuine concern he could miss the game.

Arsenal fly back to London

Arsenal headed straight back to London following their brutal cup upset. The team departed on a flight out of Blackpool Airport around 12:15am this morning and are believed to have landed at Luton Airport just before 1am.

Due to this week's schedule, the decision was made to get back to the capital for recovery before attention turns to Sunday's trip to Liverpool as the Gunners look to record their first Premier League win at Anfield since way back in September 2012.

Staying overnight usually only happens in the Champions League anyway, particularly when there are airspace restrictions and limitations with air-traffic control.

On this occasion, heading straight back might just prove to be a good idea. The players need their own beds and need to clear their heads by the time they return to Sobha for training as they look to put things right this weekend.

Guimaraes still carrying World Cup scars

Bruno Guimaraes' World Cup penalty wounds evidently still haven't healed. The midfield dynamo saw his spot-kick saved by Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch.

Guimaraes actually went the same way as he did in the World Cup quarter-final defeat to Norway, even though he was heavily scrutinised after that particular penalty as the fallout turned nasty back in his homeland of Brazil.

While it was great the 28-year-old had the nerve and bottle to step up again, he will now be wishing he never bothered. It was a poor penalty and seemed a tad choreographed.

It kind of captures the underlying frustration with Bruno G's move to Arsenal so far. He has played really well in matches and also struggled at times. For £75million, you're expecting that quality that you can rely on and so far, that just hasn't been the case outside of excellent strikes against Sunderland and Leeds.

It's also the first time Guimaraes has never reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals having previously won the competition with Newcastle in 2025.

Ridiculous away run

By the time Arsenal play Liverpool and Slavia Prague, 10 of their opening 15 games across all competitions will have been away from home.

That's an extraordinary schedule and somewhere along the line, it feels as though there could well be some balance (where home matches are concerned) that works in the Gunners' favour.

Arsenal just need to get these final matches on the road out of the way now because at home, they have won all of their matches so far this season, beating Coventry, Chelsea, Leeds, Lille and Everton, respectively.

Tie in players' international commitments and some of them have already completed some real serious millage, which might explain patchy results and performances like Tuesday against Fleetwood and versus Brighton.