Arsenal progressed in the Carabao Cup with victory away at Ipswich Town, but the closing stages of the match were overshadowed by a heated dispute involving Myles Lewis-Skelly after a contentious late goal from home side.
With the result already effectively settled, Ipswich pulled two goals back through Anis Mehmeti and former Arsenal forward Chuba Akpom, giving their supporters a reason to celebrate despite the eventual outcome. It was Akpom's strike, however, that sparked controversy and left Lewis-Skelly incensed.
Replays appeared to show Akpom pulling back on Lewis-Skelly as the two players raced toward the penalty area moments before the goal was scored. The Arsenal defender believed he had been fouled and expected the officials to intervene, but referee Peter Bankes allowed play to continue and the goal was awarded. Because VAR is not used in the Carabao Cup until the semi-final stage, there was no video review available to check the incident, and the decision stood.
Lewis-Skelly's frustration boiled over both during and after the match. Once the final whistle blew, he made his way toward the assistant referee to continue his protest, clearly unhappy with how the passage of play had been handled. Teammate Mikel Merino attempted to intervene, urging the young defender to step back and cool down before things escalated further.
Manager Mikel Arteta then became involved directly, approaching Lewis-Skelly and instructing him on two separate occasions to walk away from the situation. The Arsenal boss appeared keen to defuse tensions quickly and avoid any further confrontation with match officials once the game had concluded.
Adding another layer to the incident, Ezri Konsa of Ipswich also approached the officials to raise his own complaints after full time. Shortly afterward, in a lighter moment amid the tension, Akpom was seen sharing a laugh with Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and Konsa as they discussed the disputed goal. Saka reportedly asked Akpom directly whether it had indeed been a foul, and the striker responded with a nod, prompting both players to laugh at the exchange. Konsa gestured back toward the spot on the pitch where the incident occurred, while Saka mimicked the action of pulling someone's arm back, seemingly acknowledging that the challenge may have warranted a foul call.
The moment carried extra significance given Akpom's history with Arsenal. The 30-year-old came through the club's academy after joining at just six years old, working his way through the youth ranks before making his first-team debut back in 2013 under then-manager Arsene Wenger. Despite the early promise, Akpom was never able to cement a regular place in Arsenal's senior squad and was sent out on six separate loan spells during his time at the club.
His path eventually led him away from Arsenal permanently, joining Greek club PAOK in the summer of 2018. Since then, Akpom has also had spells with Middlesbrough and Ajax before settling at Ipswich, where his goal contributed to a memorable, if fleeting, comeback effort against his boyhood club.
While the late goals added some respectability to the scoreline for Ipswich, Arsenal ultimately advanced to the next round, though the post-match discussion largely centered on the disputed penalty-area incident and the reactions it provoked from both sets of players and Arteta's swift attempt to restore calm.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport.