A teenager has been arrested after Arsenal forward Kai Havertz's wife was sent sickening social media abuse following the club's FA defeat.
Havertz, 25, missed a penalty in Arsenal's shootout defeat at the Emirates on January 12 before his partner, Sophia Weber - who is expecting her first child with the German international - said she received abusive messages on Instagram.
She posted screenshots of the DMs to her Insta story urging people to be more 'respectful' and called the abuse 'shocking'.
Hertfordshire Constabulary today confirmed a 17-year-old boy from St Albans has been arrested on suspicion of malicious communications.
The force said he has been bailed while inquiries continue.
Arsenal are also investigating the abuse and are said to have asked the data technology company Signify to identify the users.
Instagram has removed the abusive content for violating its policies.
It came after Arsenal crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Manchester United.
Havertz was at the heart of the drama during an enthralling outing at the Emirates, drawing a foul from Harry Maguire to win a penalty with the score level - only for club captain Martin Odegaard to see his effort saved.
However, it was final action that proved most pivotal, missing the crucial spot-kick in the penalty shootout to send Arsenal out of the competition.
In the aftermath of the defeat, Havertz's wife, Sophia, shared some abhorrent messages she received from fans, with some targeting her pregnancy.
One fan wrote: 'I'm gonna come to your house and sl*ughter your baby I'm not even joking just wait.' Another said: 'I hope you have a miscarriage.'
Posting the DMs on her story, she said: 'I'm not sure what to even say but please be more respectful. We are better than this...
'For anyone to think it's okay to write something like this is so shocking to me... I hope you are so ashamed of yourself.'
Havertz broke the news that he and Sophia were expecting their first child back in November last year, sharing photos of themselves hugging as Sophia displayed her growing baby bump for the first time.
This came four months after the pair tied the knot and was met with a deluge of well wishes from their friends including fellow footballers Ben White, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and Julian Brandt.
Havertz went on to dedicate his goal against Crystal Palace to his pregnant wife, celebrating by putting the ball underneath his shirt and sucking his thumb.
But after his misfortune from the spot against United, some fans have used Sophia's pregnancy to direct hate towards the couple.
The result acts as a major blow to Arsenal's hopes of silverware this season, putting increased pressure on Mikel Arteta's side to turn around their Carabao Cup semi-final, in which they take a 2-0 deficit into the second leg against Newcastle.
Manchester United will meanwhile be reveling in the triumph and will look to continue their FA Cup defence in fine stead against Leicester City in the fourth round.