Arsenal were dumped out of the Carabao Cup on penalties by Fleetwood at Highbury, with Mikel Arteta furious after Max Dowman was sent off late on and Bruno Guimaraes missed the decisive spot-kick

Mikel Arteta was left seething with Max Dowman after the Arsenal youngster saw red in the Gunners' humiliating Carabao Cup exit to Fleetwood.

The talented prospect was dismissed late on at Highbury on Tuesday night following a reckless challenge, which sparked a mass confrontation between both teams.

His red card wasn't the sole talking point in what proved to be a dramatic cup encounter. Kick-off was pushed back by eight minutes due to a drone hovering over the ground. And once the action finally commenced, the hosts went ahead through Fulham loanee Aaron Loupalo-Bi.

The Gunners responded just minutes after the restart courtesy of Viktor Gyokeres, with Dowman getting his marching orders shortly before the match went to a penalty shootout. Bruno Guimaraes ultimately had his effort kept out, with Fleetwood securing a famous victory, reports the Mirror.

Hale End horror show

It came as no shock to see substantial changes to the starting XI ahead of kick-off, with several academy products getting the nod from Mikel Arteta. Max Dowman, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ceadach O'Neill, Marli Salmon.

Dowman predictably posed the biggest danger and nearly set up Viktor Gyokeres for the opener but the Hungarian forward couldn't quite stretch far enough to connect with his delivery. The teenager also deserves credit for his commitment to tracking back and defending in the dying moments.

But his evening turned sour in the dying moments when he saw red after lashing out and sparking a mass brawl. Manager Arteta was visibly livid with the youngster - hardly shocking given the childish nature of his reaction.

Defender Salmon also endured a forgettable outing. He arguably should have dealt better with Fleetwood's goal after being brushed aside by Loupalo-Bi, who slotted home with composure.

Salmon was subsequently hauled off at half-time, with Ben White coming on in his place.

Gyokeres' goal drought drags on

A meeting with a League Two outfit, even one enjoying impressive form, ought to have been the ideal opportunity for Viktor Gyokeres to kickstart his campaign. The ex-Sporting Lisbon man had drawn a blank in all ten of his opening appearances this term.

And it appeared destined to be another frustrating night for the Swedish striker as he failed to truly make his mark on proceedings.

Admittedly, he did find the net, but even that came courtesy of a scrappy effort as he threw a leg at the ball while tumbling to the ground, barely managing to prod it across the line.

On this showing, neither he nor attacking partner Kai Havertz have made a convincing case to spearhead the attack in this weekend's showdown with Liverpool.

Arteta turns to his heavy hitters

Arsenal gaffer Arteta would have been praying his troops cruised through without needing to call upon his more senior first-team regulars. Arsenal's display was so lacklustre that the Spanish boss was forced into action at half-time, bringing on captain Martin Odegaard and Ben White.

Bruno Guimaraes and Eberechi Eze were also thrown into the mix after the break. The substitutions had an immediate effect ahead of Gyokeres' equaliser, but Arsenal ultimately fell short of wrapping up victory within 90 minutes.

And it was one of his key players, Bruno Guimaraes, whose miss sent Arsenal crashing out of the cup.