Fleetwood Town Dump Champions Arsenal Out of the Carabao Cup

Fleetwood Town 1-1 Arsenal (Fleetwood win 5-3 on penalties), Carabao Cup fourth round, Highbury Stadium

The magic of the cup is alive and well on the Lancashire coast. League Two strugglers Fleetwood Town produced one of the greatest upsets in League Cup history on Tuesday night, dumping Premier League champions Arsenal out of the competition 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Highbury Stadium.

The shock win was made sweeter by Jamie O'Hara clowning Gunners fans later that night on talkSPORT, as his Spurs' reprieve from misery continues.

It is the first time the reigning top-flight champions have been knocked out of the League Cup by a fourth-tier side, and it is the first time Fleetwood have ever beaten a top-flight club. With 84 places separating the two sides in the English pyramid, the Cod Army were rated as 16/1 outsiders before kick-off, and Arsenal as short as 1/12.

A bizarre start and a dream opener

The evening began in strange fashion when an unauthorised drone hovering over the pitch forced the referee to halt play, with the players taken off before the tie resumed.

When the football did get going, Mikel Arteta's much-changed side dominated the ball but did little with it. Fleetwood, sitting 18th in League Two, defended with real discipline and struck on 21 minutes when Fulham loanee Aaron Loupalo-Bi muscled past young centre-back Marli Salmon and fired beyond debutant goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

Arsenal enjoyed the lion's share of possession before the break, but Viktor Gyökeres was denied and Kai Havertz wasted a headed chance. Matt Lawlor's side went in at half-time a goal to the good.

Ødegaard sparks a response

Arteta turned to Martin Ødegaard and Ben White at the interval, and the change had an instant effect. Five minutes into the second half Gyökeres scrambled home the equaliser, his first goal of the season, and it looked as though the champions would go on to impose themselves.

Instead, Fleetwood held firm, and Arsenal's frustration boiled over in the 85th minute when 16-year-old Max Dowman, the hero of the third-round win at Ipswich, was shown a straight red card following an altercation. The teenager appeared to receive a few words from Arteta as he walked off.

Even with ten men, Arsenal created the better late chances, but Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch produced big saves to deny both White and Ødegaard and take the tie to spot-kicks.

Lynch the hero, Haughey the finisher

In the shoot-out, Ødegaard, Havertz and Gyökeres all scored for the visitors, but Lynch dived to keep out Bruno Guimarães's fourth Arsenal penalty. Fleetwood were flawless from twelve yards, and it was fitting that a teenager, defender Conor Haughey, stepped up to smash home the decisive fifth kick and spark a pitch invasion from delirious home supporters.

Questions for Arteta

Arsenal rested key men such as Declan Rice, Gabriel and David Raya with Sunday's trip to Liverpool in mind, but the side that started was still packed with internationals, including Gyökeres, Havertz, Martín Zubimendi, Jurriën Timber and Piero Hincapié. Last season's beaten finalists, who lost 2-0 to Manchester City at Wembley in March, are still waiting for their first League Cup since 1993, and the manner of this exit, the lack of cutting edge and Dowman's dismissal will all draw scrutiny. Once again, sending out a second string proved a gamble: for clubs like Fleetwood, a night like this is their own cup final, and they were right at it from the first whistle. Arsenal got what they deserved.

Fleetwood's fairytale rolls on

For Fleetwood, it is the latest chapter in a remarkable run. Lawlor's side began with a 1-0 win over Chesterfield, thrashed Shrewsbury Town 4-0, then knocked out Championship side Sheffield United 1-0 to earn the Arsenal tie that sparked wild celebrations when the draw was made. Now they head into the quarter-final draw as the last fourth-tier side standing, and nobody will fancy a trip to Highbury.

Fleetwood Town (3-1-4-2): Lynch; Potter, Haughey, Bennett; Neal; Rooney, McLean, Helm, Batty; Evans, Loupalo-Bi.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Timber, Salmon, Mosquera, Hincapié; Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly; Dowman, Havertz, O'Neill; Gyökeres.

Carabao Cup outright winner odds

Arsenal's exit leaves Manchester City as favourites to lift the trophy at Wembley on Sunday 28 February 2027. Below are the latest published outright prices (best available across Betfred and AK Bets, last updated 23 October), with Arsenal removed. Bookmakers will reprice after this week's fourth-round ties, so expect City and the other big guns to shorten and Fleetwood's 250/1 to be cut sharply.

With the champions gone, the door is open for others to grab some silverware. Brighton could be a good bet at 20/1: for me, they have been the team of the season in the Premier League so far.

Odds correct at time of writing and subject to change. Each-way terms 1/2 odds, places 1-2. 18+. Please gamble responsibly. BeGambleAware.org.