Arsenal knocked out by Fleetwood in one of the biggest shocks in League Cup history

Dominic King and Daniel ZeqiriOctober 28, 2026 — 1:09pmLeaving Highbury was a wrench for Arsenal in 2006, but it was not the case 20 years later. They could not wait to get out of the stadium with the same name after a night that left Mikel Arteta looking haunted.Fleetwood Town do not have any marble halls; they did not even have enough space in their car park for the three coaches carrying Arsenal’s entourage, but they have a proud tradition, spirit and, as a result, they will dine out on a result that will be celebrated for months and talked about for decades.Some 85 rungs separated these teams at kick-off, but, now and again, you get a situation when the floodlights are on, belief is high and the sense of history is prevalent. It’s an intoxicating combination and, gloriously, the stars aligned. Mission impossible but was completed.Having chiselled out a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes in which Max Dowman was sent off, Fleetwood dispatched five nerveless spot-kicks, the last one thundered in by Conor Haughey after Bruno Guimarães had seen Arsenal’s fourth penalty saved by Jay Lynch.“You have got to have confidence, haven’t you?” Haughey asked. “I just thought, I’m going to run up and smack it. It’s incredible. I come from Belfast and if you don’t have confidence, you will get eaten up.”This was ignominious for English Premier League champions Arsenal, an elimination from this tournament to rival the 1969 loss in the final to Swindon Town or the 2012 exit to Bradford, then also of League Two. What made this so astonishing and left Fleetwood’s fans hugging in disbelief was the fact that Mikel Arteta went so strong.Fleetwood Town’s Adam Murphy celebrates after his team’s shock penalty shootout win over Arsenal.Getty ImagesYou should never be surprised by anything these days, but, even still, an eight-minute delay because of a drone flying over this wonderful little venue would not have been on anyone’s bingo card: only 57 seconds had been played when Michael Salisbury, the referee, saw a light in the sky and said “stop”.The precaution was understandable. Only 10 days ago, one idiot escaped from a village to kick a rugby ball off the roof of an apartment block into Brentford’s G-tech Stadium while Brentford and Liverpool were playing and could have caused serious injury.So while the locals harrumphed as the players tried to keep themselves warm, no risk could be taken. Eventually, police apprehended the operator in a nearby park. It was something totally unfathomable, which was also true of what happened when the contest got under way.The anticipation was that Arsenal would saunter clear against opponents who had lost at Exeter on Saturday, leaving them in 18th, but it only took a few skirmishes to appreciate this was not going to be the cakewalk anticipated in what was the biggest occasion in Fleetwood’s history.Fleetwood Town’s Conor Haughey and Raffaele Cirino after the win.Getty ImagesArteta absolutely knew his team was not operating at the levels they should have been. He was wrapped up against the elements in a thick black jacket but, every so often, he would express his exasperation at Jurien Timber, captain for the night, to “Get forward!”They were in a battle, that much was obvious, and one challenge from Shaun Rooney – so forceful you thought the ball might burst – sent Myles Lewis-Skelly spinning like a top. How Fleetwood’s fans loved it, roaring their approval as the young England international hit the ground with a thump.Arsenal had one good chance when Dowman skipped down the right and dragged a shot across the box that Viktor Gyokeres could not divert but then, wonderfully, things took a totally unexpected turn when Fleetwood poked their noses in front.It was a League Two goal in its simplicity but that is no criticism. Harrison Neal helped a long ball forward, putting it behind Marli Salmon and Aaron Loupalo-Bi relished the chance to get into a foot race, grappling with the England under-17 international.Arsenal’s Max Dowman is shown a red card.AP Photo/Ian HodgsonSalmon looked like he had him at one point but Loupalo-Bi was strong – not to mention composed – and he held off the challenge to slide a left-foot shot through the legs of Ilian Meslier, who was making his debut. What followed was unique to the magic of a British cup tie.As the home fans set off flares, filling the air with plumes of thick, red smoke, the theme tune to Captain Pugwash was played. Arteta tried to find answers from his coaching staff, amid the cacophony, but occasionally you do not have to look too deep for answers.Could the miracle happen? When half-time arrived with Fleetwood still in the lead, you began to wonder. But then you saw Ben White and Martin Ødegaard go through intense warm-ups so they could be introduced at the start of the second half and you knew the mountain had become taller.So it proved. Ødegaard, with his mesmerising left-foot and 20/20 vision, did more in the first five minutes of the second period than many of his colleagues had managed before the interval and Arsenal levelled in that initial flurry when Gyokeres levelled with his first domestic goal of the campaign.A game of attack against defence played out for the remainder before Dowman was harshly dismissed in the 85th minute after reacting to a tough challenge from Neal. There was still time for Fleetwood’s Jay Lynch to make two excellent saves from White and Ødegaard in added time as Arsenal tried to avoid the shootout lottery. They could not and how it hurt them.“Football’s getting a little bit more, I don’t know, clinical and removed,” Matt Lawlor, the Fleetwood boss, said. “To me, there was that feeling we all get as football fans. That was what you kind of live for, isn’t it? To be a part of it is special.“To be giving that to football fans and especially Fleetwood fans is unbelievably special. I’m really proud of it. Football’s a funny old game, isn’t it?”The Telegraph, LondonNews, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.From our partners