Arsenal fans call for Mikel Arteta to bench two players immediately following the defeat to Newcastle, expressing their frustration.

Arsenal fans have urged Mikel Arteta to drop two players following their 2-0 loss to Newcastle in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.

As the administrative home team, Arsenal had hoped to secure a favorable result before heading to St James’ Park for the second leg. However, Newcastle delivered a dominant performance, taking the lead in the first half through Alexander Isak’s close-range finish. Their advantage was doubled in the second half when David Raya’s save fell to Anthony Gordon, who slotted the ball home to seal the win.

Despite Arsenal’s 16 attempts on goal in the first hour, they failed to capitalize, with Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka only making three saves during that period. Fans were quick to voice their disappointment, particularly targeting Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.

One fan remarked, “Gabriel Jesus, our most in-form player, is being benched by Trossard and Martinelli.” Another commented, “Sterling surely can’t be worse than Trossard and Martinelli tonight.” Others criticized the duo’s performances, saying, “Martinelli… not good enough. Trossard… not good enough,” and, “We need better attackers, including better wingers than Martinelli and Tross

ard.”