Fleetwood Town, a fourth-tier English football club, eliminated Arsenal in the League Cup round of 16 after a penalty shootout. The match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes, securing a place in the quarter-finals for Fleetwood.
Manager Matt Lawlor's side sits 18th in League Two and is 84 places behind Arsenal, the current English champions, in the football pyramid. The hosts took the lead in the 21st minute through Aaron Loupalo-Bij, a striker who joined Fleetwood on loan from Fulham. Loupalo-Bij exploited an error in Arsenal's defence, beat Marli Salmon, broke into the penalty area and fired past goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
Arsenal equalised in the 50th minute, with Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres scoring after an assist from 18-year-old Ceadach O'Neill. Mikel Arteta's team then attempted a comeback but failed to break down the hosts' resistance. In the 85th minute, 16-year-old Max Dowman received a straight red card following a clash with Harrison Neal, with referee Michael Salisbury sending him off to the dressing room.
In the closing stages, Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch made a brilliant save to stop Ben White's shot, before also denying Martin Ødegaard. All five of Fleetwood Town's takers were precise in the shootout, while Jay Lynch saved Brune Guimaraes' attempt from the fourth round.
An unauthorised drone appeared above Highbury stadium, forcing the referee to stop play. The interruption lasted about eight minutes, and the police were involved in resolving the situation. Fleetwood shares the name of their stadium with the legendary Arsenal Highbury, where the London club played until their move to the Emirates in 2006, while Fleetwood's Highbury holds just over 5,000 spectators.
Fleetwood had already achieved their best-ever League Cup result by reaching the round of 16. On their way to the match against Arsenal, they eliminated Chesterfield, Shrewsbury and Championship side Sheffield United without conceding a goal. Before this encounter, Fleetwood had never beaten a club from the top tier of English football; in their previous five meetings against Premier League sides, they had one draw and four defeats. Arsenal played in the final of this competition last season, losing to Manchester City, and have not won the League Cup since 1993.
