Fleetwood Town produced one of the biggest shocks of the season by eliminating Premier League champions Arsenal from the Carabao Cup fourth round on penalties.
The League Two side won the shootout 5-3 at Highbury after the match finished 1-1 following a dramatic contest on Tuesday evening.
Fleetwood took the lead in the 21st minute when Aaron Loballo-B found the net. Arsenal levelled five minutes after half-time through Victor Gyokeres, but failed to find a decisive second goal despite dominating possession and creating a series of chances in the second half.
Fleetwood’s defence held firm as Arsenal increased the pressure, with the underdogs resisting repeated attacks to force the tie into a shootout.
Arsenal converted through Martin Ødegaard, Kai Havertz and Victor Gyokeres, but Bruno Guimaraes missed their fourth penalty. Fleetwood scored five times to secure an historic victory and progress to the quarter-finals, where they are still waiting to discover their opponents.
Arteta’s changes fail to prevent Arsenal exit
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta began with a side largely made up of substitutes, before introducing several first-team players after the interval in an attempt to turn the match around.
Ben White, Eberechi Eze, Martin Ødegaard, Ezri Konsa and Bruno Guimaraes were all brought into the contest, but the changes could not prevent Arsenal from suffering an unexpected defeat.
The Gunners’ task became more difficult in the 85th minute when their young forward Max Dowman was sent off following an altercation with Fleetwood players.
Arsenal had reached the fourth round by beating Ipswich Town 4-2 in an entertaining third-round tie.
Fleetwood, who compete in the fourth tier of English football, had progressed to this stage for the first time in their history. They secured their place with a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United, the Championship club, in the previous round.
Their win over Arsenal extends an extraordinary run in the competition and gives the fourth-tier side a place in the last eight.
Fleetwood are listed to face Bristol Rovers in League One on 31 October 2026. Liverpool and Arsenal are listed for a Premier League fixture on 1 November 2026.