A drone, a teenage red card and a perfect shootout: League Two Fleetwood knock out champions Arsenal
Why it hits youIt's the first time the reigning Premier League champions have been knocked out of the League Cup by a fourth-tier side. It's the kind of night that makes people care about the cup, and it was won by a team with teenagers taking penalties.
Fleetwood Town, 18th in League Two and a non-league club as recently as 2012, drew 1-1 with the Premier League champions and won 5-3 on penalties. A teenage defender scored the winner. Fans invaded the pitch.
The Facts
What everyone agrees on
Before anyone spins it. Every one of these is checkable.
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Fleetwood Town 1-1 Arsenal, Carabao Cup fourth round, Tuesday 27 October at Fleetwood's Highbury Stadium. Fleetwood won the penalty shootout 5-3. Arsenal.com ↗
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Play was stopped in the second minute because of a drone above the ground. The delay lasted around seven to eight minutes, and some fans jeered. ESPN ↗
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Aaron Loupalo-Bi, on loan from Fulham, put Fleetwood ahead after 21 minutes. Viktor Gyökeres equalised in the 50th minute, his first goal of the season. ESPN ↗
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Arsenal's teenage winger Max Dowman was sent off late in the game. Sky Sports says it was for apparently kicking out at Fleetwood's Harrison Neal. Sky Sports ↗
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Every Fleetwood penalty went in. Goalkeeper Jay Lynch saved from Bruno Guimarães, and teenage defender Conor Haughey scored the winner, sparking a pitch invasion. ESPN ↗
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It's the first time the reigning Premier League champions have been knocked out of the League Cup by a fourth-tier side. Fleetwood were 18th in League Two going into the game. ESPN ↗
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Fleetwood are in the League Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history. Arsenal.com ↗
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Fleetwood were a non-league club as recently as 2012. It's the club where Jamie Vardy made his name, helping them win promotion into the Football League before he joined Leicester. Sky Sports · ESPN ↗
Every Side · 1 of 3
Fleetwood's view
“The biggest night in the club's history”
For Fleetwood, a seaside town in Lancashire, this was everything. Manager Matt Lawlor said he “couldn't believe it” and called it the biggest night in the club's history. Teenage defender Conor Haughey, who scored the winning penalty, said his plan was simple: “pick my spot and put it in! Top corner and then just run.” He added: “We've just beaten the Premier League champions. It just shows how good this team are.” Goalkeeper Jay Lynch said the players had looked at Grimsby beating Manchester United in the same competition last year.
- Matt Lawlor, Fleetwood manager
- Conor Haughey, Fleetwood defender
- Jay Lynch, Fleetwood goalkeeper
Side labels are our editorial calls for now. How we'll rate lean
File photo: Sam Beckwith / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 · Pharos Lighthouse, Fleetwood, 2006 ↗
Every Side · 2 of 3
Arsenal's view
“A really sad day”, but not for lack of trying
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta congratulated Fleetwood and called it “a really sad day for us”. He said he couldn't fault his players' attitude, and that Arsenal had so much of the ball and so many chances: “With what we produced, it should have showed in the scoreline.” His point: when you're on top, you have to take your chances. “We didn't, and football is about that.”
- Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager
Side labels are our editorial calls for now. How we'll rate lean
File photo: Chensiyuan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · May 2026 ↗
Every Side · 3 of 3
The pundits' view
One for the history books
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson called it the biggest shock in the history of the League Cup, and said of Fleetwood's penalties: “They were off the charts.” Eighty-four places separated the two teams in the English football pyramid, and Arsenal didn't field a weak team: Sky and ESPN both say Arteta picked a strong side, with captain Martin Ødegaard brought on at half-time when Arsenal were losing.
- Paul Merson, Sky Sports
- ESPN
- Sky Sports
Side labels are our editorial calls for now. How we'll rate lean
File photo: Steve Daniels / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Highbury Stadium, October 2017 ↗
The Blindspot · what the headlines skip
Was the red card fair? Depends who you ask
Sky Sports says Dowman was sent off for apparently kicking out at Harrison Neal, and its commentator Andy Hinchcliffe called the decision “really harsh”. Arsenal's own match report tells it differently: a reckless tackle from Neal, and Dowman responding.
File photo: Chensiyuan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · May 2026 ↗The Blindspot · what the headlines skip
Teenagers were all over this game, on both sides
Fleetwood's winning penalty came from a teenage defender. Arsenal had a 17-year-old, Marli Salmon, in defence when Fleetwood scored, a Northern Ireland teenager, Ceadach O'Neill, making his debut and setting up the equaliser, and teenage prodigy Max Dowman sent off. Keeper Illan Meslier was making his Arsenal debut.
The Blindspot · what the headlines skip
Giant-killings are becoming a habit
Fleetwood's players say they were inspired by another fourth-tier club, Grimsby Town, beating Manchester United in last season's League Cup. Two seasons, two of the biggest clubs in England knocked out by League Two sides.
The Blindspot · what the headlines skip
The reality check comes on Saturday
Fleetwood's manager didn't let the players get carried away: “we've got a league game on Saturday.” Beating the champions doesn't change the fact that they're near the bottom of League Two, just two points above the relegation zone, according to Sky.
Your Call
- Fleetwood's view: not yet
- Arsenal's view: not yet
- The pundits' view: not yet
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File photo: Chensiyuan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arsenal win the Premier League, May 2026 ↗Receipts
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Hero image: File photo: Steve Daniels / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Highbury Stadium, Fleetwood, October 2017 ↗
By No Glaze News · published