Arsenal’s loanees had a poor set of results in the League Cup this week, but there were a couple of major highlights.

Arsenal had six loanees taking part in six League Cup ties in midweek, but it’s fair to say most of them didn’t go as planned.

Five of the group ended up on the losing side, with Crewe Alexandra (Arthur Okonkwo) thrashed 4-0 by Grimsby Town, and Ipswich Town (Tyreece John-Jules) losing 1-0 to Colchester United in normal time.

The other three teams eliminated were Blackpool (Charlie Patino), Stoke City (Harry Clarke), and Birmingham City (Auston Trusty), all of whom went out on penalties.

The one positive was a 1-0 win for Crawley Town over Bristol Rovers, with Mazeed Ogungbo playing the full 90 minutes.

Even better, Crawley drew Fulham in the next round, giving Ogungbo his first opportunity to play against Premier League opposition.

The one other highlight from the League Cup first round was Patino winning the Man of the Match award for Blackpool. He came off in the 70th minute at 0-0, so he wasn’t part of the eventual penalty shootout disappointment.

All the same, it’s a shame not to see more of Arsenal’s loanees in the later rounds of the competition.

Of course, the Gunners could still send more players out on loan this month, but Ogungbo is currently their only hope of still being in the competition by the time Arsenal join – in the third round.

For the rest, they’ll have to wait for the FA Cup to get underway for their next taste of senior cup action.