Fleetwood Town produced one of the biggest shocks in Carabao Cup history by knocking out reigning Premier League champions Arsenal on penalties.
There was an 84-place gap between the two teams before Tuesday’s match. Fleetwood, who play in League Two, were huge underdogs. However, they held their nerve to secure a famous quarter-final place.
Aaron Loupalo-Bi gave Fleetwood the lead after 21 minutes. Arsenal responded after the break when Viktor Gyokeres scored to make it 1-1.
The visitors then failed to take control of the game. Fleetwood defended strongly and took advantage of Arsenal’s wasteful display. Max Dowman was also sent off after kicking out following a challenge from Harrison Neal.
The match eventually went to penalties. Conor Haughey scored the decisive spot-kick to send Fleetwood through. Goalkeeper Jay Lynch was also crucial after making important saves during the match and stopping Bruno Guimaraes in the shootout.
Fleetwood celebrate biggest night in club history
Fleetwood have come a long way since their non-league days. The club earned six promotions in 12 years before reaching the English Football League in 2012.
Their latest victory was even more remarkable given their recent form. Fleetwood sit 18th in League Two and had won only once in their previous eight league matches. They had also conceded six goals across their two games before facing Arsenal.
“The biggest night in the club’s history in terms of opposition coming to town and we’ve managed to beat the champions,” boss Matt Lawlor told Sky Sports.
Jake Batty said the players found extra motivation in cup football.
“Our league form’s not been as good as what we’d want it to be and for some reason [in] cup competitions everyone gets a bit of a fire in their belly. We just came up with some magical moments and obviously that’s one to tell the grandkids, isn’t it?”
Fleetwood will now enter the quarter-final draw with confidence, hoping to secure another home tie.
