Fleetwood Town, a small port town in northwest England, defeated Premier League champions Arsenal in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup to advance to the last eight for the first time. The match ended 1-1 and went to penalties without extra time, with Fleetwood winning 5-3. With this, the club achieved a record of advancing to the fourth round of the League Cup for the first time in its history.
The match took place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on 27 October, with Fleetwood facing Arsenal at their home stadium. Immediately after the game started, an unauthorized drone flew over the field, causing a nine-minute suspension at the referee's discretion. After the break, the match resumed, and in the 19th minute of the first half, Arsenal's 16-year-old forward Max Dauman sent a cross, but Viktor Gökeres extended his foot but did not touch it, and Arsenal took the lead in the 21st minute. Fleetwood's Aaron Lupalovi scored with a left-footed shot from inside the PA for a 1-0 lead.
Arsenal equalized the score five minutes into the second half. Sea Dutch O'Neill dribbled on the left side, got into the left side of the PA and raised a cross, allowing Gjekeles to score even though he was out of position in front of the goal. The game remained 1-1 until the end. In the 41st minute of the second half, Dauman was violently tackled and acted in retaliation, and was sent off with a red card. Arsenal were at a disadvantage in numbers and had to play for the rest of the game.
There was no overtime, and the game went to penalties. Arsenal's defender Ben White took a direct shot from midfielder Eberechi Eze's cross, but it was stopped by goalkeeper Jay Lynch, and midfielder Martin Odegaard's shot was also saved. Fleetwood used midfielder Bruno Guimarães as their fourth kicker, but he was stopped by the goalkeeper. In the end, Fleetwood won 5-3 on penalties, defeating the Premier League champions.
Fleetwood is a fourth-division club based in Lancashire, northwestern England, a port town with a population of approximately 26,000. FW Jamie Vardy is also known to have belonged to Restor City just before transferring. In the third round, they defeated Sheffield United (second division) 1-0, making them the first team in League Cup history to advance to the fourth round.
The win was a big turning point for Fleetwood, and the club's place in the quarter-finals means they will be on an even bigger stage in future games. Although it has not yet been decided who they will face in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, Fleetwood remain motivated and are determined to achieve further success.