Arsenal are still coming to terms with one of the most embarrassing nights in the club’s recent history.

The Premier League champions were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by League Two side Fleetwood Town on Tuesday, held to a 1-1 draw at Highbury before losing 5-3 on penalties. With Max Dowman’s red card and fresh injury concerns ahead of Sunday’s trip to Liverpool, it was a painful night all round for Mikel Arteta.

At the other end of the tunnel, it was the biggest night in Fleetwood’s history. “I just can’t believe it,” their boss Matt Lawlor told Sky Sports afterwards. “We’ve managed to beat the champions.” And according to Lawlor, Arteta handled the defeat in the best possible way.

Matt Lawlor praises Mikel Arteta’s class

As per football.london, Lawlor revealed that Arteta sought him out in the tunnel after the game to congratulate him.

“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 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 would have been fuming, but to be fair to him, the first thing he did in his post-match interview was congratulate Fleetwood and credit them for the atmosphere they created. And according to football.london, he also praised them in his post-match huddle with the players.

What a moment that would have been for the 38-year-old Lawlor, a local man who spent his playing career in non-league football before taking charge of Fleetwood earlier this year. For Arteta, attention now turns to Sunday’s trip to Liverpool, where Arsenal haven’t won a Premier League game since September 2012.