Fleetwood Town knocked Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup in the fourth round on the evening of 27 October UK time, early on 28 October in Vietnam. The League Two side drew 1-1 with Mikel Arteta's team at their Highbury Stadium and then won the penalty shootout 5-3, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in the club's history, according to Arsenal's official website.
The gap between the two clubs made the result remarkable. The Guardian described Arsenal as the reigning Premier League champions and noted that Fleetwood, 18th in League Two, sit 84 places below them in the English pyramid. Arsenal also finished with 10 men after 16-year-old Max Dowman was shown a red card shortly before the shootout.
How the tie unfolded
The game was halted after just 93 seconds because of drone interference. Arsenal's website and Dân trí gave different figures for how long the stoppage lasted, but both describe a delay of several minutes.
Fleetwood went ahead in the 21st minute. Harrison Neal's pass found Aaron Loupalo-Bi, who held off Marli Salmon and finished low between the legs of goalkeeper Illan Meslier. Arsenal did not register a shot on target until the 29th minute, when Viktor Gyokeres tried his luck from range.
Arteta sent on captain Martin Odegaard and Ben White at half-time, replacing Jurrien Timber and Salmon, and the visitors levelled in the 50th minute, according to Dân trí. A dangerous ball from debutant Ceadach O'Neill caused confusion in the box and Gyokeres flicked his shot past Jay Lynch. Kai Havertz then had an effort pushed over the bar and hit the side netting, while Myles Lewis-Skelly twice shot wide, once from close range.
Dân trí puts the sending-off in the 85th minute. Arsenal's report says Neal made a reckless tackle on Dowman, the teenager responded, and referee Michael Salisbury showed him a red card after the scuffle that followed. Lynch still had to keep out a Ben White effort on the line in stoppage time.
The shootout
Every penalty was taken in front of the home supporters. Arsenal's report gives the sequence:
| Kick | Taker | Outcome | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ronan Coughlan (Fleetwood) | Scored | 1-0 |
| 2 | Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) | Scored | 1-1 |
| 3 | Harrison Neal (Fleetwood) | Scored | 2-1 |
| 4 | Kai Havertz (Arsenal) | Scored | 2-2 |
| 5 | Will Davies (Fleetwood) | Scored | 3-2 |
| 6 | Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal) | Scored | 3-3 |
| 7 | Andy Cannon (Fleetwood) | Scored | 4-3 |
| 8 | Bruno Guimaraes (Arsenal) | Saved by Jay Lynch | 4-3 |
| 9 | Conor Haughey (Fleetwood) | Scored | 5-3 |
Many of the 4,000 home fans streamed on to the pitch after Haughey's winning kick, The Guardian reported.
What they said
Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor, quoted by The Guardian, called it a win for all of football. He said: "That was what you kind of live for, isn’t it? To be a part of it is special." He added that he had managed to hold back tears as people he grew up with shouted to him from the crowd.
Arteta congratulated Fleetwood and said he could not fault his players' attitude, but he pointed to the poor opening goal and the chances that went begging. He told Arsenal's website: "If you don’t capitalise at this level, it’s the competition you are in and you are out, there are no margins for error." The Guardian noted that Arteta appeared to aim criticism at Dowman as the teenager walked past him, and that Dowman had also been sent off while playing for England Under-19s.
Odegaard admitted the performance "was not on the level" and insisted "We can't feel sorry for ourselves", stressing that the only response was to bounce back. He also apologised to the travelling fans; almost 1,000 Arsenal supporters made the trip to the north west, according to the club.
What comes next
Fleetwood are in the last eight for the first time. Arsenal return to the Premier League at Liverpool on Sunday 1 November at 4.30pm UK time (11.30pm in Vietnam), then travel to Slavia Prague in the Champions League, their third away game in a row. Arteta summed up the mood: "We need to take it now on the chin." The focus, he said, had to shift to recovering in time for Anfield.