International football
League Two's Fleetwood knock champions Arsenal out of the League Cup: 5-3 on penalties after 1-1
After a 1-1 draw over 90 minutes at Highbury Stadium, goalkeeper Jay Lynch saved Bruno Guimarães' kick and 19-year-old Conor Haughey scored the decisive penalty for a 5-3 shootout win.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 27, 2026, 23:20 · Updated 18:42 · 2 min read
In brief
- Fleetwood, 18th in League Two, beat the Premier League champions 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
- Loupalo-Bi scored in the 21st minute, Gyökeres equalized in the 50th; 16-year-old Max Dowman was sent off in the 85th.
- Fleetwood reach the cup quarterfinals for the first time; Arteta: A really sad day for us.
Fleetwood Town, a fourth-tier English side sitting 18th in League Two, knocked Premier League champions Arsenal out of the fourth round of the League Cup (Carabao Cup) on Tuesday. After a 1-1 draw over 90 minutes at Highbury Stadium, Fleetwood's ground, the hosts won 5-3 on penalties in one of the biggest upsets in the competition's 66-year history. Fleetwood reach the quarterfinals for the first time.
Aaron Loupalo-Bi, on loan from Fulham, gave Fleetwood the lead in the 21st minute. Martin Ødegaard came on for the second half, and Arsenal looked better after the break: Viktor Gyökeres equalized in the 50th minute with his first goal of the season. The match was halted for eight minutes early on because of a drone over the stadium. In the 85th minute, 16-year-old Max Dowman was sent off after reacting to a challenge by midfielder Harrison Neal, and Arteta was seen rebuking him as he left. Lynch then saved efforts from Ben White and Ødegaard.
The shootout
In the shootout, Fleetwood scored all five kicks. The only Arsenal player to miss was Bruno Guimarães, whose effort Lynch saved. Nineteen-year-old defender Conor Haughey converted the decisive penalty, sparking a pitch invasion. “We've just beaten the Premier League champions,” he said.
“A really sad day for us,” said Mikel Arteta, who had left out Declan Rice, Gabriel and David Raya. He said the defeat “had nothing to do with effort or application or determination to win it.” Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor called it “the biggest night in the club's history.” In Tuesday's other tie, Bradford City beat Peterborough 2-0 and join Fleetwood as a lower-league side in the quarterfinal draw.
