Carabao Cup's official 'X' handle trolls Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
What's the story
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta blamed part of his team's loss to Newcastle United in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, on the type of ball used in the match.
The competition uses a Puma ball, unlike the Nike ball used in Premier League matches.
Arteta hinted this difference could have impacted his players' performance during their home game at Emirates Stadium.
Here's what happened thereafter.
Ball controversy
Arteta's comments on match ball spark debate
During a post-match press conference, Arteta was asked about his team's performance and the effect of the match ball.
He said, "I think we kicked a lot of balls over the bar and it's tricky that this ball flies a lot."
Asked directly about the ball, he elaborated, "It's just different, it's very different to the Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies differently."
Social media reaction
Carabao Cup's official handle trolls Arteta
In the wake of Arteta's remarks on the match ball, the Carabao Cup's official X handle responded with a meme of rapper 50 Cent.
This social media banter added a funny touch to the heated discussion on how different balls affect matches.
The second leg of this semi-final will be played on February 5 at St James's Park, where Newcastle United will hope to seal their spot in the League Cup final and end a major trophy drought since 1955.
Twitter Post
Twitter Post
https://t.co/P6dZTLnUCo pic.twitter.com/cd5hHAOSZI
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) January 8, 2025
Do you know?
Arsenal own 11 goals in this season's Carabao Cup
Arsenal went on to score a whopping 11 goals in the previous rounds of the 2024/25 Carabao Cup — against Bolton, Preston and Crystal Palace — using the same ball. Arsenal beat Bolton 5-1 before enjoying 3-0 and 3-1 wins over Preston and Palace.