Fourth-tier Fleetwood Town produced one of the biggest upsets in English football after knocking Premier League champions Arsenal out of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
Mikel Arteta’s side crashed out of the competition after losing 5-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the fourth-round tie at Highbury Stadium. The result sent Fleetwood into the quarter-finals for the first time in the club’s history.
Arsenal midfielder Bruno Guimarães had his penalty saved by Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch, while Conor Haughey converted the decisive spot-kick to seal a famous victory for the League Two side.
Aaron Loupalo-Bi put Fleetwood ahead in the first half before Viktor Gyökeres equalised shortly after the break. Arsenal’s hopes suffered another setback when 16-year-old Max Dowman was sent off in the closing stages for kicking out at Fleetwood midfielder Harrison Neal.
Arteta made several changes to his starting line-up ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Liverpool, but Arsenal struggled to turn their dominance into goals and were punished by a determined Fleetwood side.
The Gunners had entered the tie in strong form after beating Everton 2-0 on Saturday, a result that moved them level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City. However, they failed to find a winning goal against their lower-league opponents, with Lynch making crucial saves to force the match into a shootout.
Arsenal have suffered other painful cup exits against lower-league opposition, including a League Cup defeat to fourth-tier Bradford City on penalties in 2012. Their loss to Fleetwood, however, will rank among the most memorable upsets of the competition.
The venue added another unusual twist to the occasion. Fleetwood’s Highbury Stadium shares its name with Arsenal’s former home in north London, where the Gunners played before moving to the Emirates Stadium in 2006.
Fleetwood’s compact ground, which has a capacity of about 5,300, became the scene of jubilant celebrations as home supporters flooded the pitch following Haughey’s winning penalty.
Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor and his players celebrated a landmark result that eliminated the reigning Premier League champions and secured the club a place in the last eight of the EFL Cup.
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