Twitter explodes as Arsenal crash out of the FA Cup after 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest

Arsenal suffered a shocking 1-0 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest last night in the third round of the FA Cup, resulting in an early exit from the competition they've won a record number of times (14).

Notably, this is only the second time they've failed to progress past the third round of the FA Cup in 26 years. Arsenal previously crashed out at the same stage in the 2017-18 edition of the FA Cup, astonishingly after losing to Nottingham Forest then as well.

Last night's encounter didn't produce much to write home about, with neither side hitting a single shot on target in the first half. The only goal of the match came as late as the 83rd minute when substitute Lewis Grabban converted Ryan Yates's cross to give the Championship side what turned out to be an unassailable lead.

Although Arsenal's all-white jerseys in support of the 'No More Red' campaign against youth violence were crisp, their performance was far from it.

Following the disappointing result, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta lamented his side's performance and admitted that the Gunners needed to be better. Speaking after the match, he said:

"We were not good enough and we have to apologise for it.

"We needed more drive, more hunger to win at any cost in every single action, much more. We were not at our level.

"I'm really disappointed with the performance, first of all. Not with the attitude but how much purpose we have and what determination we showed to change the game when it's difficult to play against the way they play.

"I have played in games like that for the past 18 years and I know how complicated it is to come here. It's no surprise the difficulties you are going to face. But when we do that, we have to face it in a different way," Arteta said.

The 14-time FA Cup winners, last won the competition in 2020 and will naturally be gutted about crashing out this early. Arteta reflected those exact sentiments in his post-match interview.

"It is really hurting. It is a competition that is very related to our history and to get out of it is a big bump," he said.

The Gunners are due to play Liverpool in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup this month and also find themselves in 4th place on the Premier League table, 18 points adrift of league leaders Manchester City. Should the former matchup not go their way, the Gunners are certain not to lift any silverware this season, much to the disappointment of the club and its fans.

Twitter absolutely erupted following last night's result, as expected. Arsenal and rival fans took to the social media platform to express their thoughts. Without further ado, here is a look at some of the

Best reactions as Arsenal crash out of the FA Cup following their 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest

---