Arsenal collapsed in one of the biggest upsets in the 66-year history of the English League Cup, with the Premier League champions knocked out by fourth-tier Fleetwood Town on penalties in the last 16 on Tuesday.
Five months after losing on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in Champions League FinalArsenal endured more pain in the shootouts – this time at the 5,300-capacity Highbury Stadium, the intimate Fleetwood ground which shares the same name as Arsenal’s old stadium.
Fleetwood – a team 84 positions lower in the English football pyramid than Arsenal – converted all of their penalties and won the shootout 5-3. Arsenal’s Bruno Guimaraes had his shot saved in the only missed attempt of the shootout.
The match ended 1-1 in normal time – Arsenal finishing it with 10 men after a red card for 16-year-old prodigy Max Dowman.
“A really sad day for us,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who left out some first-team stars – such as Declan Rice, Gabriel and David Raya – but still chose a strong squad containing seasoned internationals.
Jubilant home fans flocked to the pitch after Conor Haughey awarded the decisive penalty to Fleetwood, who had never reached this stage of the competition before and – in 18th place in League Two – were the lowest-placed club in the draw.
“It’s the biggest night in the club’s history in terms of city opposition and we managed to beat the (Premier League) champions,” Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor said.
Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch, the star of the shootout after parrying Guimaraes’ attempt, said the team had been inspired by another League Cup upset delivered by a fourth-tier side last season.
“We took courage Grimsby beat Man United “Last year,” Lynch said. “We kind of compared it.
“Amazing for the club, the city. Honestly, it means everything to everyone.”
Trailing in the 21st minute by on-loan Fulham striker Aaron Loupalo-Bi, Arsenal brought on captain Martin Odegaard at half-time to get back into the game.
Viktor Gyokeres equalized in the 50th minute, but Arsenal struggled to create many clear-cut chances after that and had Dowman sent off in the 85th for sending off an opponent who had brought him down with a crunching tackle. Dowman appeared to receive a reprimand from Arteta as he left the pitch.
“We have a huge responsibility to wear this badge in the best way possible,” Arteta said. “It had nothing to do with effort, application or determination to win, but we were missing other things.”
Little-known Fleetwood is Jamie Vardy’s former club
Fleetwood, which is a coastal town in the northwest of England, is best known for being the team where former England and Leicester striker Jamie Vardy made his name.
Vardy only stayed there for one season and helped Fleetwood gain promotion out of the fifth tier and into the English Football League, before moving to Leicester in 2012.
In 2023, the former owner of Fleetwood, Andy Pilley, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for fraud. He lost his appeal in February this year.
The drone stops playing
A drone flying over the stadium caused an eight-minute delay shortly after the match kicked off.
Arsenal were about to take a free kick in the second minute when the referee spotted the drone and temporarily stopped play, prompting jeers from some fans.
The referee spoke with the head of stadium security, the two managers and then some players before finally resuming the match.
More penalties for Guimaraes
Maybe Guimaraes should stop taking penalties.
The midfielder had a recorded kick during Brazil’s defeat by Norway in the round of 16 of the World Cup this summer.
Third-ranked Bradford in the quarter-finals – and has pedigree
Bradford City will represent England’s third tier in the quarter-finals – 13 years after reaching the final of the competition playing in the fourth tier.
Bradford beat Peterborough 2-0 and will join Fleetwood as lower league sides in Wednesday’s draw for the last eight.
In 2013, Bradford became the first fourth-tier team in over 50 years to reach the final and lost 5–0 to Swansea at Wembley Stadium. He knocked out Arsenal on the way to the title game that season.
More matches on Wednesday
The round of 16 continues on Wednesday with five more matches, headlined by defending champions Manchester City at home to Brighton and Liverpool hosting Chelsea.
There are three other clashes entirely in the Premier League: Bournemouth v Aston Villa, Fulham v Crystal Palace and Sunderland v Brentford.
On Thursday, Everton host Newcastle.
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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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