Mikel Arteta's conduct after Arsenal's EFL Cup exit at Fleetwood Town has been praised by the winning manager, with both Football.London and Mirror Football reporting that the Spaniard's's behaviour in the tunnel contrasted sharply with a notorious episode involving his former mentor Pep Guardiola.

Fleetwood, of League Two, beat the Premier League champions on penalties after Tuesday night's 1-1 draw at Highbury Stadium, progressing to the quarter-finals. Max Dowman was sent off late on for Arsenal, Bruno Guimaraes had his spot-kick kept out by Jay Lynch, and Conor Haughey converted to set off a pitch invasion.

Lawlor hails Arteta's class

"He shook my hand two or three times and he was really, really gracious," Lawlor said, adding: "I can imagine it's a really disappointing night for him."

Lawlor said the two had not managed a longer conversation because Arteta was occupied with media duties, but that the Arsenal manager had still found a moment for him. "He said well done in the tunnel briefly and how well we did, which is obviously a show of class from him," he said, adding that he would like to "pick his brains" at some point.

The Guardiola comparison

Both outlets framed Arteta's response against Guardiola's reaction to Manchester City's FA Cup defeat by Wigan Athletic in 2018, when Arteta was on his coaching staff. Fabian Delph's was dismissed shortly before half-time, and Guardiola and Wigan manager Paul Cook confronted each other on the touchline before being separated by staff in the tunnel, where the BBC had a camera positioned. Wigan won 1-0 through Will Grigg's early goal.

Football.London noted that such conduct was not typical of Guardiola after defeats, which he has generally accepted with dignity, but described the difference with Arteta's response as marked.

Arteta's own words

Arteta, who picked a strong side, said the occasion showed what the competition means in England. "That is why football is entertainment, especially in this competition and in this country," he said.

He added that the result hurt but that credit belonged to the opposition. "We didn't want to go through this and we are extremely sad but we need to congratulate the opponent."

Arsenal return to Premier League action on Sunday 1 November, away to Liverpool at Anfield.

Photo: Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, resized.