Fourth-tier Fleetwood Town knocked Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup with a 5-3 penalty shoot-out victory after a 1-1 draw in normal time in their fourth-round tie on Tuesday.
Arsenal’s Bruno Guimaraes had his penalty saved by Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch in the shoot-out before Conor Haughey scored the decisive spot-kick to secure victory for the League Two side.
Aaron Loupalo-Bi put Fleetwood ahead in the first half before Viktor Gyokeres equalised after the interval. Arsenal’s 16-year-old rising star Max Dowman was also sent off for violent conduct in the closing stages.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made nine changes to his starting line-up ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Liverpool. The decision came after Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over Everton on Saturday, which moved them level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Arsenal entered the tie after winning 11 of their previous 13 games across all competitions. However, the defeat ended their Carabao Cup campaign and added another cup disappointment to Arteta’s tenure.
The result follows previous cup defeats in Arsenal’s history, including their League Cup penalty shoot-out loss to fourth-tier Bradford City in 2012. Arteta’s side also lost to Southampton in the FA Cup last season and Nottingham Forest in the same competition in 2022, when Forest were in the Championship.
Arsenal’s earlier cup setbacks include their 1969 League Cup final defeat against third-tier Swindon Town and their 1992 FA Cup exit against fourth-tier Wrexham.
Fleetwood’s Highbury ground, which shares its name with Arsenal’s former stadium before the club moved to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, hosted the fourth-round tie. The stadium has a capacity of 5,327, and goals are celebrated with the Captain Pugwash theme played over the tannoy.
Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor celebrated with his players as supporters entered the pitch following the final penalty.
‘Cod Army’ Secure Cup Victory
Fleetwood, nicknamed the ‘Cod Army’ in reference to the town’s fishing industry, entered the match after losing their previous two League Two games against Exeter City and Cheltenham Town. The club were 18th in the League Two table.
Only Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gyokeres retained their places from Arsenal’s match against Everton. Teenagers Dowman and Marli Salmon started, while 18-year-old winger Ceadach O’Neill made his debut.
The match was delayed by eight minutes after an unauthorised drone flew over the stadium. Once play resumed, Fleetwood took the lead in the 21st minute following a defensive error by Salmon.
Loupalo-Bi outmuscled the 17-year-old defender, entered the penalty area and sent a low finish past Arsenal debutant goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
Arsenal controlled possession after conceding but struggled to convert their dominance into goals. Arteta introduced Martin Odegaard at half-time, and Gyokeres equalised five minutes into the second half.
The goal followed a move involving O’Neill, whose pass reached Gyokeres, who finished from close range after a physical contest with his marker.
Arsenal’s difficulties continued in the 85th minute when Dowman was sent off for kicking out at Harrison Neal following a challenge from the Fleetwood midfielder.
Both teams scored their first three penalties in the shoot-out before Lynch saved Guimaraes’ effort. Haughey then converted the decisive penalty to complete Fleetwood’s 5-3 shoot-out victory and knock Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup.