Arsenal was beaten by fourth-tier Fleetwood Town in a penalty shootout in one of the biggest upsets in the 66-year history of the English League Cup.
Fleetwood converted all of its spot kicks against the Premier League champion and won 5-3 in the shootout in the last 16, after Bruno Guimaraes had a penalty saved.
The match finished 1-1 in regulation at the 5300-capacity Highbury Stadium, the home ground of Fleetwood that bears the same name as Arsenal’s former home stadium from 1913-2006.
Eighty-four positions separated the teams in the English soccer pyramid and Fleetwood, which had never reached this stage of the competition before, was the lowest-ranked club left in the draw.
Jubilant home fans streamed onto the field after Conor Haughey dispatched the clinching penalty and Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch said his team was inspired by another League Cup upset delivered by a fourth-tier side last season.
“We took heart from Grimsby beating Man United last year," Lynch said. "We kind of compared it.
“Amazing for the club, the town. Honestly it means everything to everyone.”
Arsenal didn't field a full-strength team — first-team stars such as Declan Rice, Gabriel and David Raya were missing — but manager Mikel Arteta still picked a strong line-up containing seasoned internationals, with captain Martin Odegaard even thrown on at halftime with Fleetwood leading 1-0.
Viktor Gyokeres equalised in the 50th minute but Arsenal struggled to create many clear-cut chances after that and had 16-year-old prodigy Max Dowman sent off for kicking out at an opponent in the 85th. Dowman appeared to get a rebuke from Arteta as he left the field.
Fleetwood – based in a coastal northwest England town and languishing in 18th place in League Two – is most famous for being the team where former England and Leicester striker Jamie Vardy made his name.
Vardy was there for just one season and helped Fleetwood gain promotion out of the fifth tier, and into the English Football League, before getting a move to Leicester in 2012.
In 2023, Fleetwood's former owner, Andy Pilley, was handed a 13-year jail sentence for fraud. He lost an appeal in February this year.
Arsenal also lost its previous penalty shootout — against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest at the end of last season.
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