Fleetwood Town manager Matt Lawlor has praised Mikel Arteta for his response to Arsenal’s League Cup defeat on Tuesday night.
Arsenal suffered a very disappointing defeat to League Two side Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night, exiting the League Cup in the fourth round.
The loss was Arsenal’s second in two games against lower-league opposition, having also exited the FA Cup to Southampton earlier in 2026.
Mikel Arteta was very clearly unhappy about his team’s elimination, but Fleetwood boss Matt Lawlor suggested the Arsenal boss had been gracious to him in defeat.
“He shook my hand two or three times, and he was really, really gracious,” Lawlor said. “I can imagine it’s a really disappointing night for him, but the way that he acted with class is amazing there.
“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.
“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.”
Arteta may have had cause to be upset with the red card shown to Max Dowman, which Arsenal are appealing. But the decision came late in the game, and it likely didn’t affect the result.
The Arsenal boss can only really be frustrated with himself and with his team’s failure to put away their many chances, so there would be no good reason to take that out on the opposition manager.
This was just Fleetwood’s night, and the classy move was definitely to let them enjoy it.
- Fleetwood Town boss shares what Arteta said to him after cup defeatFleetwood Town manager Matt Lawlor has praised Mikel Arteta for his response to Arsenal’s League Cup defeat on Tuesday night.
- Arsenal to appeal Max Dowman red cardArsenal are set to appeal Max Dowman’s red card, expecting a verdict to be reached before Sunday’s match against Liverpool.
- Arteta explains what he said to Dowman after red cardMikel Arteta has provided some insight on what he said to Max Dowman following the youngster’s red card against Fleetwood Town.
- 3 new Arsenal injuries confirmed pre-Liverpool clashMikel Arteta confirmed on Tuesday night that three new players were unavailable to face Fleetwood Town due to injury, in addition to the three known absentees.
- Former Arsenal player now coaching club’s u15 sideFormer Arsenal youth player Conor Henderson is now working with the u15 team as a coach, having completed his UEFA A License.