Fleetwood Town have knocked Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup after securing a 5-3 penalty shootout victory following a 1-1 draw in their fourth-round tie at Highbury Stadium on Tuesday.
Aaron Loupalo-Bi gave the League Two side a surprise lead in the 21st minute, putting the hosts in front against the Premier League giants.
However, Viktor Gyokeres restored parity for Arsenal shortly after the restart, scoring early in the second half to bring the visitors back into the contest.
Arsenal subsequently created several opportunities to take the lead but failed to find a winning goal before the match went to penalties.
Both sides converted their opening three spot-kicks, with Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Gyokeres scoring for Arsenal, while Harrison Neal, Ronan Coughlan and Will Davies found the net for Fleetwood.
Andy Cannon converted Fleetwood’s fourth penalty to put the home side ahead in the shootout. Goalkeeper Jay Lynch then saved Bruno Guimaraes’ effort, leaving Fleetwood one successful kick away from progressing.
Conor Haughey calmly converted the decisive penalty, sparking celebrations among the home supporters as Fleetwood secured a place in the quarter-finals.
Arsenal’s difficult evening was compounded by the dismissal of teenage forward Max Dowman late in normal time following a confrontation with Fleetwood’s Neal.
The defeat ends Arsenal’s Carabao Cup campaign and leaves Mikel Arteta’s side to focus on their remaining competitions.
According to the club’s post-match report, Arsenal will return to Premier League action against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, 1 November, at 4.30pm, before travelling to face Slavia Prague in the UEFA Champions League.
