Arsenal are out of the League Cup. Fleetwood Town beat them 5-3 on penalties at Highbury Stadium on Tuesday night after a 1-1 draw, and Bruno Guimaraes had his spot-kick saved by Jay Lynch to hand the home side the tie. BBC's live text described it as one of the biggest League Cup shocks it had seen.
Loupalo-Bi gives Fleetwood a half-time lead
The home side made the early running count. Loupalo-Bi scored in the 21st minute from an assist by Harrison Neal, and Fleetwood went into the break 1-0 up in front of a crowd of 5,002. Arsenal had named a strong side, with Meslier in goal and Timber, Zubimendi, Havertz, Lewis-Skelly, Mosquera and Gyokeres all starting, and Odegaard, Eze, Bruno Guimaraes, Konsa and White among the substitutes.
Gyokeres answers, then Dowman is sent off
Arsenal levelled five minutes into the second half. Viktor Gyokeres scored in the 50th minute, which will matter to him: Goal had reported before kick-off that he was still waiting for his first goal of the season. The equaliser was not followed by a winner. In the 85th minute Max Dowman was shown a red card, leaving Arsenal with ten men for the closing stages, and neither side could find another goal. The tie went straight to penalties.
Five from five for Fleetwood
Fleetwood took the first kick in front of their own supporters, and Ronan Coughlan scored it with a stuttering run-up. Martin Odegaard equalised, Harrison Neal smashed Fleetwood back in front into the top corner, and Kai Havertz made it 2-2. Will Davies put Fleetwood ahead again after Meslier dived the wrong way, Gyokeres made it 3-3, and Andy Cannon hit the fourth Fleetwood penalty hard into the bottom corner to make it 4-3. Then came the miss. Lynch dived to his left and palmed away Guimaraes' kick, and Conor Haughey scored Fleetwood's fifth to make it 5-3 and finish the tie.
What it means
For Arsenal, the competition is over, and the questions will be about a night when they scored once against a team that kept its nerve from 12 yards. For Fleetwood, it is a place in the quarter-finals and a result their supporters will talk about for a long time. Lynch saved one of Arsenal's four penalties, and Fleetwood did not miss any of their five.
Match facts: Carabao Cup, last 16, Highbury Stadium, Tuesday 27 October 2026. Fleetwood Town 1-1 Arsenal (half-time 1-0); Fleetwood won 5-3 on penalties. Goals: Loupalo-Bi 21' (assist Neal) (Fleetwood); Gyokeres 50' (Arsenal). Red card: Dowman 85' (Arsenal). Penalties, Fleetwood first: Coughlan scored, Odegaard scored, Neal scored, Havertz scored, Davies scored, Gyokeres scored, Cannon scored, Guimaraes saved, Haughey scored. Attendance: 5,002.
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