Arsenal became the first reigning Premier League champions to be eliminated from the Carabao Cup by a fourth-tier club after losing to Fleetwood Town on penalties on Tuesday, October 27.
The fourth-round tie ended 1-1 after regulation time before Fleetwood secured a 5-3 win in the shootout to claim a memorable scalp.
According to football statistics platform Squawka on 𝕏, the result marked the first time the reigning Premier League champions had been knocked out of the League Cup by a fourth-tier side.
It was also only the second time Arsenal had suffered such an exit, following their penalty shootout defeat to Bradford City in the 2012/13 season.
Fleetwood, who sit 84 places below Arsenal in the English football pyramid, stunned the visitors when Aaron Loupalo-Bi opened the scoring in the 21st minute.
Arsenal responded after the break, with Viktor Gyokeres restoring parity, but Mikel Arteta’s side failed to find a winner despite creating several opportunities.
Their hopes of avoiding a shootout suffered another setback in the 86th minute when teenage midfielder Max Dowman was sent off for kicking out after a heavy challenge from Harrison Neal.
Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch then proved decisive, making crucial late saves to deny Ben White and Martin Odegaard and send the contest to penalties.
Lynch continued his impressive display in the shootout by saving Bruno Guimaraes’ effort before Conor Haughey converted the decisive kick to spark celebrations at Highbury Stadium.
The defeat represents a significant disappointment for Arsenal, who will now turn their attention to the Premier League and their upcoming trip to Anfield to face Liverpool.
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