Fans have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to call out Arsenal star Kai Havertz for his performance in the Gunners’ penalty shootout loss against Fleetwood Town.
Arsenal, on the back of a comfortable win against Everton, travelled to Highbury Stadium to take on Fleetwood Town in the fourth round of the 2026-27 EFL Cup. Mikel Arteta named a heavily rotated side to take on the League Two side.
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The likes of Illan Meslier, Max Dowman and Marli Salmon got a chance from the get-go for the Gunners against a team in 18th in the fourth division of English football. Things didn’t go as planned for Arteta’s side as they failed to penetrate the Fleetwood defence in the first half.
Aaron Loupalo-Bi gave a surprise lead to the home side after a mistake from Salmon. Despite pressure from the Gunners, the Cod Army held out and took the lead into half-time. Things changed in the second half when substitute Martin Ødegaard came on and brought more control to the North London side.
Viktor Gyökeres pounced on a cross and bundled the ball into the Fleetwood net to score the equalizer. Arsenal took control of the game and kept trying, but couldn’t get past the Fleetwood defence.
Things went from bad to worse for the Gunners after Max Dowman was given his marching orders for lashing out at an opponent. Arteta appeared to have stern words with the teenage star as he walked off the pitch after seeing red.
The game went straight to penalties after 90 minutes, where Fleetwood came out 5-3 victors after Arsenal star Bruno Guimaraes’ effort was saved by Fleetwood keeper Jay Lynch.
Fans took to X to call out Kai Havertz for his showing against Fleetwood Town. He had 7 shots in the game with just one on target; he also missed 2 clear-cut chances in the clash. One fan called the German star’s performance the worst they’d seen at the club.
A second said:
A third fan wanted Havertz sold after his showing:
Some of the other reactions are as follows:
What’s next for Arsenal after their EFL Cup exit?
Arsenal will look to bounce back from their disappointing loss when they return to action in the Premier League. The Gunners are set for a tough clash against Liverpool away from home at Anfield.
Andoni Iraola’s men seem to have turned a corner after their loss to Manchester City and are on a four-game winning streak. Following their clash against Liverpool, the Gunners will travel to Czechia to take on Slavia Praha in the UEFA Champions League.
Edited by Vignesh Raja
