Carabao Cup: Arsenal Set Unwanted Record In Shock Defeat To 4th Division Side Fleetwood Town

Arsenal set an unwanted record following their shock defeat to fourth division side Fleetwood Town in round 16 of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.

Fleetwood Town pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Carabao Cup history as they edged out Arsenal 5-3 on penalties after regulation time finished 1-1.

The Gunners were left shell-shocked when Aaron Loupalo-Bi gave the hosts – ranked 84 places below the Gunners in the football pyramid – an unexpected lead in the 21st minute.

Viktor Gyokeres pulled the visitors level after the break, but a wasteful Arsenal side could not put the game to bed and they were reduced to 10-men in the 86th minute when teenage starlet Max Dowman kicked out after a hefty tackle by Harrison Neal.

Jay Lynch made two sublime saves to stop Ben White and Martin Odegaard right at the death to take the hosts to penalty shootout.

And the Fleetwood goalkeeper pulled off more heroics as he stopped Bruno Guimaraes’ spot kick before Conor Haughey sparked scenes of ecstasy at Highbury Stadium by converting the winning penalty.

Also Read: Why I Left Arsenal For Chelsea — Giroud Reveals

Now according to Squawka on X, Arsenal are the first reigning Premier League champions to be knocked out of the League Cup by a fourth-tier side.

Also it is only the second time Arsenal have been knocked out of the League Cup by a fourth-tier side, after Bradford in 2012/13. Both on penalties.

Arsenal would hope to bounce back from the defeat to Fleetwood when they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Premier League.

James Agberebi is a sports content creator and analyst with a passion for football and other sports. He writes sports news, match reports, and analysis to keep fans informed about the latest developments in the sporting world. James has covered international matches involving both Nigeria’s men’s and women’s national teams. His experience covering Nigerian football gives him a good understanding of the game and the teams he writes about. Through his work with Complete Sports, James shares sports updates, match coverage, and analysis with readers in Nigeria and around the world.