League Two side Fleetwood Town beat Arsenal 5-3 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw, reaching the Carabao Cup quarter-finals for the first time.
League Two club Fleetwood Town eliminated Premier League champions Arsenal from the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, winning a penalty shootout 5-3 after the fourth-round tie finished 1-1. Aaron Loupalo-Bi, on loan from Fulham, put the hosts ahead after 21 minutes, and Viktor Gyökeres equalised for Arsenal after the break. Conor Haughey scored the decisive spot-kick, sending Fleetwood into the competition's quarter-finals for the first time since the club joined the English Football League in 2012.
Arsenal had most of the possession and chances but could not find a winner. Goalkeeper Jay Lynch made late saves in normal time and then stopped Bruno Guimarães in the shootout. Arsenal teenager Max Dowman was sent off for kicking out at Harrison Neal, a decision Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe called harsh. The match was also interrupted for several minutes early on when a drone was spotted above the ground. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who had rotated his side, said there was no fault with his players' attitude but that Arsenal failed to capitalise on their chances.
Fleetwood sit 18th in League Two and had lost their previous two league games, conceding six goals. Manager Matt Lawlor called it the biggest night in the club's history and said the team had not practised penalties, adding that the focus now turns to Saturday's league match against Bristol Rovers. BBC Sport noted that 83 league places separated the sides, and the result is already being ranked among the biggest cup upsets in English football.
