Fleetwood 1-1 Arsenal (5-3 on penalties): League Two side knock out the champions in one of the Carabao Cup's biggest shocks
Fleetwood Town, 18th in League Two and a non-league club as recently as 2012, beat Arsenal on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Max Dowman was sent off late on, and Mikel Arteta said: "I cannot fault the attitude of the players at all."
Highbury has seen plenty of history, but nothing like this. Fleetwood Town, 18th in League Two, held Premier League champions Arsenal to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night and then won the penalty shootout 5-3 to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
How it happened
| Minute | Event |
|---|---|
| 1' | An unidentified drone over the ground stops play for about seven minutes |
| 21' | Aaron Loupalo-Bi 1-0 — the Fleetwood forward muscles past Marli Salmon and scores |
| 50' | Viktor Gyökeres 1-1 — bundled in from close range |
| 59', 65' | Kai Havertz and Myles Lewis-Skelly miss big chances |
| 90' | Max Dowman sent off for allegedly kicking out at Harrison Neal |
| 90+5' | Jay Lynch saves from Ben White and Martin Ødegaard |
The shootout
Fleetwood scored all five of their penalties. Arsenal's miss came when goalkeeper Jay Lynch saved from Bruno Guimarães, and Conor Haughey sent Illan Meslier the wrong way to win it 5-3.
"I'm going to be honest, we haven't practised once," admitted Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor, who called it the biggest night in the club's history. "We're not egotistical enough to think we're going to play the best team in the country and outplay them."
Arteta: "Zero complaints" about attitude
Arteta made nine changes from the side that beat Everton, keeping only Gyökeres and Lewis-Skelly. Illan Meslier played in goal and Ceadach O'Neill made his first start. Ødegaard came on for the second half.
Arteta refused to blame his players' commitment. "I cannot fault the attitude of the players at all," he said. "Attitude-wise, I have zero complaints, otherwise I would be absolutely fuming. It was nothing to do with effort or application or determination to go and win it." He said Arsenal should have won comfortably given their chances.
On Dowman's red card, which Sky Sports co-commentator Andy Hinchcliffe called "really harsh": "It's difficult to see, so I prefer to watch it back properly and then I can assess the situation."
How big a shock is it?
Very. Fleetwood were a non-league club as recently as 2012. "They'll be in history now for the biggest shock in the history of the League Cup," said Paul Merson. Arsenal went into the game joint top of the Premier League.
What it means for Arsenal
The defeat costs Arsenal a trophy chance but frees up the schedule before a huge week: Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, with Bukayo Saka still out — see how long Saka will be out. Arsenal are level on 21 points with Manchester City at the top of the league; read our title race comparison.
All the fixtures are in our Carabao Cup fourth round guide.
FAQ
What was the score in Fleetwood vs Arsenal? 1-1 after 90 minutes; Fleetwood won 5-3 on penalties on 27 October 2026.
Who scored for Fleetwood against Arsenal? Aaron Loupalo-Bi scored in the 21st minute; Viktor Gyökeres equalised for Arsenal.
Why was Max Dowman sent off? He was dismissed in the 90th minute for allegedly kicking out at Harrison Neal. Arteta said he would review the incident.
