Fleetwood Town have pulled off one of the biggest shocks in the history of English cup football, knocking Premier League champions Arsenal out of the EFL Cup on penalties at Highbury Stadium.

The League Two side, who sit 18th in the fourth tier and began the night 84 places below their opponents, held the Gunners 1-1 over 90 minutes and then won the shootout. Conor Haughey struck the decisive penalty, sending home fans pouring on to the pitch.

The win takes Fleetwood into the quarter-finals of the competition, currently sponsored as the Carabao Cup, for the first time since the club joined the Football League in 2012.

How it happened

Aaron Loupalo-Bi gave the hosts a deserved lead after 21 minutes, and Fleetwood went in at half-time still in front. Arsenal levelled after the break through Viktor Gyökeres, and at that stage most in the ground expected the visitors to go on and win.

Instead, Arsenal were wasteful, and their night got worse when the teenager Max Dowman was sent off for kicking out after a robust challenge from Harrison Neal. Fleetwood defended with discipline and refused to be pinned back, taking the game to penalties.

Goalkeeper Jay Lynch played a central part, tipping away one of Arsenal's spot-kicks before Haughey stepped up to complete the upset.

'The biggest night in the club's history'

Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor told Sky Sports: “The biggest night in the club's history in terms of opposition coming to town and we've managed to beat the champions.”

“I'm a big football fan and I watch National League all the way through to the Premier League, Championship. So for me it was a tough game to prepare for, but I'm just so glad that the lads have the feeling the way they are and took that performance in to make that town, the club, everyone proud.”

Left-back Jake Batty told BBC Radio 5 Live that the side's league form had been poor, but that “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?” he said. “We're not known as a big club in League Two. We get a few thousand fans each game, and just the buzz around the town, you could see the fans in the shootout and all game.”

Batty urged supporters to come back in the same numbers. “Why can't we replicate that and get 5,000 fans behind us every game and give us that momentum?” he said, adding that Fleetwood should be “fearless” in the quarter-finals and hope for another home tie. “I don't think we should be scared of any team.”

From non-league to giant-killers

Fleetwood, a fishing town on the Lancashire coast whose team are nicknamed the Cod Army, won six promotions in 12 years on their rise from non-league football. Their recent history has been harder. Relegation from League One was confirmed on 20 April 2024, on the same day Arsenal beat Wolves at Molineux to go top of the Premier League.

Arsenal finished that season second, but went on to win the title two years later. The gulf between the clubs is huge: Fleetwood had won only once in their previous eight league games before Tuesday night.

The result immediately drew comparisons with the great cup upsets of the past, including Bradford City's run to the 2013 League Cup final as a fourth-tier side, and Wrexham's FA Cup win over Arsenal in 1992.

Back to reality

For Arsenal, the defeat ends their interest in a trophy they had been expected to challenge for, and Dowman's red card means a suspension for one of their brightest young players. The club now turn their focus back to the Premier League and the Champions League.

For Fleetwood, the celebrations will be brief. They face Bristol Rovers in League Two on Saturday, and Lawlor admitted he had already reminded his players of it. “It's really hard to address the players. I've just said to enjoy it and then we've got a league game on Saturday,” he said. “I didn't want to be the bearer of the reality, but we've got a game.”