A night that was supposed to show off Arsenal's young players turned into one of the biggest upsets of the season.
Fourth-tier Fleetwood Town knocked Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup in the fourth round on Tuesday. The game finished 1-1, and Fleetwood won the shootout 5-3 at Highbury Stadium.
How it went wrong
Aaron Loupalo-Bi gave Fleetwood the lead in the 21st minute. Viktor Gyökeres equalized for Arsenal five minutes into the second half, but Arsenal couldn't find a winner despite having most of the ball.
With about five minutes left, 16-year-old Max Dowman, one of the most hyped teenagers in England, was shown a straight red card. Mikel Arteta appeared to speak to him as he walked off.
A teenager wins it for Fleetwood
In the shootout, Fleetwood keeper Jay Lynch saved Bruno Guimarães's penalty. Teenage defender Conor Haughey then scored the winning kick.
Arteta called it a very sad day for the club. He said he had no complaints about his players' attitude, but Arsenal needed to take their chances before it got to penalties.
Why it matters
For a 16-year-old, a red card on a night like this is part of the learning curve, and Dowman's talent isn't in question. It's still a reminder of the pressure on teenagers who play first-team soccer at elite clubs, the same pressure Cavan Sullivan, Julian Hall and Adri Mehmeti handle every week in MLS.
Sources: ESPN, Sky Sports
