Fleetwood Beat Arsenal on Penalties to Reach League Cup Last Eight

Fleetwood Town of League Two beat Arsenal on penalties on Tuesday night and moved into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals for the first time since joining the English Football League in 2012. Conor Haughey scored the winning spot-kick for the hosts.

There were 84 places between the teams in the league pyramid. Fleetwood sit 18th in League Two and had won once in their previous eight league games. Arsenal are the reigning Premier League champions.

Aaron Loupalo-Bi put Fleetwood ahead after 21 minutes. Viktor Gyokeres levelled for Arsenal after the break. The visitors then wasted chances, and Max Dowman was sent off for kicking out after a robust challenge from Harrison Neal. Fleetwood held on, took the tie to penalties, and fans spilled on to the pitch after Haughey's kick.

Lynch the shootout difference

Goalkeeper Jay Lynch tipped the shootout in Fleetwood's favour. He had made saves in the match to deny Ben White and Martin Odegaard, and he then kept out Bruno Guimaraes' penalty.

"My voice has gone from organising the defence," Lynch told Sky Sports. "We took heart from Grimsby beating Man United last year. We kind of compared it." He added that it was a typical night in Fleetwood, with a storm expected and horrible conditions that they thought might go in their favour.

Manager Matt Lawlor called it "the biggest night in the club's history in terms of opposition coming to town". He said the win over the champions had made the town, the club and everyone proud. He told his players to enjoy it, with a league game against Bristol Rovers on Saturday.

A poor run before the tie

Fleetwood had conceded six goals in their previous two games. They lost 4-2 at Cheltenham and then 2-1 at Exeter on Saturday, after a long journey south.

Left-back Jake Batty told BBC Radio 5 Live that league form had not been what the club wanted. "We just came up with some magical moments and obviously that's one to tell the grandkids, isn't it?" he said. He hoped the crowd could be replicated, with 5,000 fans behind the team every game, and said Fleetwood should be fearless and hope for another home tie in the last eight.

Fan Ben, who has followed the club for 15 years, was at Exeter on Saturday and at Cheltenham the week before, when Fleetwood were 3-0 down after half an hour. He said it was the best night of his life.

The club known as the Cod Army has won six promotions in 12 years since climbing from non-league. Fleetwood have been in the English Football League since 2012, and their relegation from League One was confirmed on 20 April 2024.

Source: BBC Sport