Arsenal stunned by League Two Fleetwood as underdogs secure shock shootout win

Fleetwood Town's Conor Haughey (left) celebrates scoring the winning penalty in the shootout with teammate Rafaele Cirino. Pic: Nick Potts/Press Association.

Carabao Cup: Fleetwood Town 1 Arsenal 1 (Fleetwood win 5-3 on penalties)

League Two Fleetwood shocked Premier League champions Arsenal in a penalty shootout to advance to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw.

Bruno Guimaraes saw his spot-kick saved by Jay Lynch before Fleetwood’s teenage defender Conor Haughey lashed home an emphatic penalty to spark a pitch invasion at Highbury Stadium as Fleetwood triumphed 5-3 in one of the greatest upsets in the competition’s history.

“I’ve just told the players to enjoy it, but we’ve got a game on Saturday,” Fleetwood boss Matt Lawlor chuckled post-match. “I didn’t want to tell them. 

“We’re not stupid enough to think we’re going to outplay the best team in the country. We just tried to deny them space, deny them opportunities. I’m so glad the lads put that performance in – they’ve made everyone in the town so proud.” 

He continued: “We haven’t practiced (penalties) once.” Lawlor admitted. “A 19-year-old centre-back took the last one, and buried it! We were deep, in a low block … I forgot we were going straight to penalties, I was worried about extra time!”

Fleetwood, 18th in League Two, dared to dream after Fulham loanee Aaron Loupalo-Bi put them in front after 21 minutes against a much-changed Arsenal side struggling to find any fluidity on the Fylde coast.

The half-time introduction of Martin Odegaard changed the game as the Gunners looked much improved after the break, drawing level in the 50th minute when Viktor Gyokeres just about managed to turn in his first goal of the season.

But as Arsenal turned up the heat without reward, their frustration boiled over as their teenage prodigy Max Dowman was sent off with five minutes left to play.

There was still time for Lynch to make huge saves from Ben White and Odegaard before it went to a shoot-out in which Fleetwood were perfect from the spot to secure a historic win.

The biggest fixture since Fleetwood arrived in the Football League 15 years ago was heralded by pre-match fireworks but play was halted barely a minute after kick-off as a drone hovered over the stadium, causing a delay of around eight minutes before referee Michael Salisbury was happy to get going again.

Tempers fray between Arsenal's Max Dowman and Fleetwood Town players. Pic: Nick Potts/Press Association.

Mikel Arteta made nine changes from Saturday’s 2-0 win over Everton with Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gyokeres the only survivors but this was still a strong side including the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Cristhian Mosquera.

Fleetwood did not shirk the challenge, throwing themselves in front of the ball and making big blocks as they defended in numbers, denying Arsenal a clear sight of goal until Dowman, star of their 4-2 win over Ipswich in the previous round, dragged wide.

A minute later, Fleetwood were in dreamland. Mark Helm lifted the ball forward for Loupalo-Bi to run through, showing strength and determination to hold off 17-year-old Marli Salmon before rolling it under Arsenal’s debutant goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

Arsenal, last year’s beaten finalists who last won this competition back in 1993, were slow to respond and lacked fluidity before the half-time introduction of Odegaard alongside Ben White. It had the desired impact as they levelled less than five minutes later.

The lively Ceadach O’Neill, the Northern Ireland international making his first senior appearance for the Gunners, cut inside from the left and curled a low cross to the back post, where Gyokeres fell as he tussled with Finley Potter but still did enough to slip the ball beyond Lynch.

The chances were now piling up. Havertz was denied by Lynch from point-blank range before Lewis-Skelly and Havertz missed the target.

Arsenal’s growing frustration boiled over with five minutes left as Dowman kicked out at Harrison Neal and saw red.

As the match moved into stoppage time Lynch somehow kept out strikes from White and Odegaard to force the shootout on a night that would belong to the Cod Army.

FLEETWOOD TOWN: Lynch, Potter, Bennett, Haughey, Batty, Rooney, Loupalo-Bi (Davies 82), Helm (Cannon 74), Neal, McLean (Murphy 66), Evans (Coughlan 66).

ARSENAL: Meslier, Hincapie, Salmon (Odegaard 46), Mosquera, Timber (White 46), Lewis-Skelly (Konsa 82), Zubimendi (Guimarães 82), O'Neill (Eze 66), Havertz, Dowman, Gyökeres.

Referee: Michael Salisbury.