Arsenal’s attacking depth is the real story behind the Fleetwood exit: 26 shots, one goal and a red card for a 16-year-old have left Mikel Arteta short of options for Anfield.
The Premier League champions lost 5-3 on penalties to the League Two side at Highbury Stadium after a 1-1 draw, and the League Cup exit has been picked over for the rotation. The numbers say something different. Arsenal had 26 shots to Fleetwood’s three, seven on target to two, and around 78% of the ball.
Chances were never the problem. Finishing was, and the squad Arteta could pick to fix it is shrinking by the day.
Arteta said as much afterwards: “When we create the volume of shots and chances we did, you have to score three, four or five.” He added that “even with 10 men, we had three big chances to score.”
Why Arsenal’s attacking depth is the question after Fleetwood
Arsenal went in front of the Fleetwood tie with an attack already stripped back. Bukayo Saka is out with a thigh injury, Christos Tzolis is out with a hamstring problem, and Arteta confirmed Noni Madueke missed the cup tie with an ankle issue. Riccardo Calafiori and Declan Rice are also being assessed after the Everton win.
That left Arteta leaning on Max Dowman, Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz, with Eze arriving off the bench in the 66th minute and Martin Odegaard coming on at half-time. Gyokeres levelled early in the second half and Havertz scored in the shootout, but neither could land the second goal that the 26 shots demanded.
When the wide options are injured and the attack is built around a teenager and two central forwards, the margin for a quiet night disappears. Fleetwood had three shots all evening and still went through.
What does Dowman’s red card mean for the Liverpool trip?
The sharpest cost of the night came late on, when Dowman was sent off after reacting to a challenge. It is a three-match ban if it stands, which would take in the trip to Liverpool, the home game with Hull City and the visit to Newcastle United.
Arsenal are reported to be appealing, with a decision expected before Sunday’s 4.30pm kick-off at Anfield. The club won a similar case with Myles Lewis-Skelly in January 2025, so the odds are not hopeless.
Arteta said the sideline exchange with his young winger “is something that we discussed before the game” and that “we know when we prepare the context of the match, we’re very clear on what to expect.” That is a manager pointing at composure, and a 16-year-old will learn it. The squad-planning problem is separate: a player Arteta clearly trusts is now a doubt for three league games when Saka is already missing.
Can Gyokeres and Havertz carry the Arsenal attack alone?
Viktor Gyokeres: the goal, and the wasted volume
Gyokeres scored Arsenal’s only goal in normal time and converted in the shootout too. Yet an attack that creates six big chances, according to the match stats, should be putting two or three away. A number nine can only finish what the wide areas and the midfield supply, and that supply was thin.
Kai Havertz: a difficult night that needs context
Havertz had a night to forget in front of goal, heading wide late on, before converting from the spot. He is a valuable link player, but he is not a replacement for the width and pace Saka and Madueke offer. Asking a number nine and a number ten to do the work of two missing wingers is where the shots dried up.
Was the rotation the problem or the depth behind it?
Arteta changed his side heavily, with the Fleetwood tie a chance for fringe players to claim minutes. Rotation explains the rustiness, but it does not explain why so many shots produced so little.
The attacking half of the argument is different. Ben White, Ezri Konsa and Bruno Guimaraes all came on, and Guimaraes then saw his penalty saved by Jay Lynch low to his left before Conor Haughey scored the winner. Arsenal had the ball and the shots, but nobody on the bench who changed the shape of the attack.
That is a squad-building point, not a coaching one. If Dowman’s ban stands, Arteta has to rebuild his front line for three straight league games. Another knock would leave Arsenal with very little cover in the forward positions, and that is a question the January window will have to answer.
What happens next for Arsenal’s attack?
The immediate picture is clear. Saka and Tzolis are out, Madueke, Rice and Calafiori are doubts, and Dowman’s appeal decides whether he is available at Liverpool. If the ban holds, Arteta’s first-choice attack for Anfield will be built around Gyokeres, Havertz, Eze and Odegaard.
The Fleetwood exit will fade quickly if Arsenal win at Liverpool. The attacking depth question will not. A title defence is won over the whole squad, and for now the front end of that squad is stretched thinner than anyone at the Emirates would like.
