League Two side Fleetwood Town knocked Premier League champions Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, October 27, winning 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Highbury Stadium. Goalkeeper Jay Lynch saved Bruno Guimaraes in the shootout and Conor Haughey scored the winning kick, sending Fleetwood into the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time in club history.
The gap between the two clubs made the result one of the biggest upsets the competition has seen. Arsenal sit at the top of English football as reigning Premier League champions, more than 80 league places above a Fleetwood side from the fourth tier that had won only once in its previous eight league matches. BBC Sport and the Carabao Cup’s own account both placed the result among the biggest shocks in the history of the tournament.
Fleetwood Strike First At Highbury Stadium
The night started strangely, with play held up for more than eight minutes early on after a drone was spotted above the stadium. When the football settled, Fleetwood settled faster. Aaron Loupalo-Bi gave the hosts the lead in the 21st minute, capitalising on a defensive error by Arsenal youngster Marli Salmon and finishing past goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
Arsenal controlled the ball for long stretches but could not turn that control into a goal before the break. Manager Mikel Arteta turned to his bench at half time, introducing Martin Odegaard and Ben White, and the change paid off five minutes after the restart. Viktor Gyokeres converted a low delivery from Ceadach O’Neill in the 50th minute, scrambling home his first goal of the season to level the tie at 1-1.
From there the pattern was set. Arsenal finished with 26 shots and 78 percent of possession according to the BBC, but Lynch kept them out, and Fleetwood defended their box with numbers and discipline. The longer the second half ran, the more the home crowd believed the tie could reach penalties.
Lynch Stands Tall As Arsenal Run Out Of Time
Arsenal’s frustration boiled over in the closing minutes. Teenager Max Dowman, who had scored twice against Ipswich Town in the previous round, was sent off in the 86th minute after reacting to a challenge from Harrison Neal, leaving the visitors with 10 men. Dowman is 16 years old, and the red card was his second of the month after a dismissal with England Under 19s.
Lynch still had work to do. Eberechi Eze rolled the ball across the box to White at the back post late in normal time, and Lynch kept the effort out on the line in what proved to be Arsenal’s final clear chance. He also denied Odegaard as the clock ran down, forcing the shootout the home supporters wanted.
Amazing for the club, the town. Honestly it means everything to everyone. We took heart from Grimsby beating Man Utd last year. We kind of compared it.
The shootout, taken in front of the Fleetwood end, stayed perfect through three rounds. Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Gyokeres scored for Arsenal, while Ronan Coughlan, Neal and Will Davies replied for the hosts. Andy Cannon put Fleetwood ahead 4-3, and then Lynch dived low to his left to save from Guimaraes. Haughey stepped up and drove the winning penalty into the top corner. Fleetwood scored all five of their kicks, and Arsenal never took a fifth.
A First Quarter-Final And A Place In Cup History
The result carries real historical weight. It is the first time a fourth-tier side has knocked the reigning English champions out of a domestic cup since Wrexham beat Arsenal in the FA Cup in 1992, 34 years ago. Fleetwood have now won their last four penalty shootouts in all competitions and converted each of their last 16 spot kicks across those shootouts.
The cup run also keeps building on itself. Fleetwood reached the fourth round for the first time in September and had already beaten Chesterfield, Shrewsbury Town and Sheffield United without conceding a goal before Tuesday night. They join Bradford City, who beat Peterborough United 2-0 in Tuesday’s other tie, as the first two clubs in the quarter-finals. The draw follows the remaining last-16 ties on Wednesday, October 28, including Liverpool against Chelsea, and the quarter-finals are scheduled for the week starting December 14.
Arteta was gracious afterwards but made the scale of the disappointment plain, congratulating Fleetwood and calling it a really sad day for Arsenal. The exit extends Arsenal’s wait for a League Cup trophy that stretches back to 1993 and recalls their penalty shootout exit against Bradford City in 2012. Arsenal now travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday, November 1, with Dowman suspended and Bukayo Saka expected to miss around six weeks. Fleetwood, meanwhile, wait for the draw and the biggest December night in the club’s history.
