Fleetwood stun Arsenal on penalties after 1-1 draw

Fleetwood Town of League Two knocked Premier League champions Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, winning 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Highbury Stadium in the fourth round.

Aaron Loupalo-Bi put the hosts ahead in the 21st minute, finishing from the left side of the box after a pass from Harrison Neal. Fleetwood led at halftime despite Arsenal controlling most of the possession and creating a stream of chances.

Viktor Gyokeres levelled four minutes into the second half, poking the ball home from close range in the six-yard box. Arsenal pressed for a winner but could not find one, and their night got worse in the 85th minute when Max Dowman was shown a red card for violent conduct.

The tie went straight to a penalty shootout. Fleetwood’s goalkeeper saved Bruno Guimaraes’s spot-kick, and defender Conor Haughey converted the winning penalty to set off wild celebrations. Fans flooded onto the pitch, and Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor was reduced to tears, BBC Sport reported.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta congratulated Fleetwood afterward. “A really sad day for us,” he said, adding that he could not fault the attitude of his players. Arsenal had far more of the ball and many more shots, he said, but did not take enough of their chances to avoid a shootout.

The result is one of the biggest in Fleetwood’s history. The Lancashire club, which plays two divisions below the Premier League, will meet the winner of the Everton and Newcastle United tie in the quarter-finals.

The other fourth-round ties also produced shootouts. Liverpool beat Chelsea 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, as we reported in our match story on Anfield, and Manchester City edged Brighton 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw. Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Sunderland also advanced. Bournemouth’s recent 3-0 league win at Manchester United is covered in our Old Trafford story.

Arsenal now turn their attention to the Premier League. Another recent Premier League result is covered in our report on Tottenham’s 2-0 win at Chelsea.

Via BBC Sport and ESPN, which both confirmed the score, scorers and red card.

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