FLEETWOOD TOWN BEAT ARSENAL ON PENALTIES

Fleetwood Town beat Arsenal 4-3 on penalties in the Carabao Cup after a 1-1 draw at Highbury. Aaron Loupalo-Bi put Fleetwood ahead in the first half. Viktor Gyokeres equalised for Arsenal minutes into the second half. Arsenal’s Max Dowman received a red card late in the match after kicking out following a heavy challenge. Bruno Guimaraes then had a penalty saved as Fleetwood secured a place in the quarter-finals.

A drone above Highbury delayed the start of the match by eight minutes. Fleetwood compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football, while Arsenal entered the tie as Premier League champions. Mikel Arteta named academy graduates Dowman, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ceadach O’Neill and Marli Salmon in Arsenal’s starting side. Dowman crossed for Gyokeres during the match, but the striker could not reach the ball. Loupalo-Bi, who is on loan from Fulham, shook off Salmon before scoring Fleetwood’s goal.

Dowman’s kick triggered a brawl involving players from both sides. Arteta reacted angrily to the dismissal, and cameras captured his response. Earlier, Dowman had tracked back to help Arsenal defend in the closing stages. The penalty shootout ended Arsenal’s participation in the competition and sent Fleetwood into the last eight. Fleetwood’s result came against a side that had made several changes to its starting line-up for the tie.