Arsenal's Carabao Cup campaign ended in a shock penalty shootout defeat at League Two Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night, a match that was halted for eight minutes by a drone flying over Highbury Stadium. The Premier League champions lost 5-3 on spot-kicks after the game finished 1-1, with Bruno Guimarães seeing his penalty saved. The last meeting with Fleetwood Town ended Fleetwood Town 1-1 Arsenal on Tuesday 27 October.
The bizarre stoppage occurred in the second minute, just after Arsenal were awarded a free-kick. The referee consulted with the stadium safety officer and both managers before play could resume once the drone left the area. The incident marked a historic night for the hosts, for whom this fourth-round tie was the biggest in their 15-year Football League history.
Viktor Gyökeres had equalised for Arsenal five minutes into the second half, cancelling out Aaron Loupalo-Bi's 21st-minute opener for Fleetwood. The match turned in the 85th minute when Arsenal's Max Dowman was shown a red card for kicking out after a challenge from Harrison Neal. The dismissal left Mikel Arteta's side to see out extra time with ten men.
The shootout proved decisive. Guimarães, the club's £75 million summer signing, saw his effort saved by Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch, allowing Conor Haughey to score the winning penalty and send the fourth-tier side through.
The cup exit is a setback as Arsenal focus on their Premier League title defence. They currently sit second in the Premier League with 21 points from eight games, having recorded seven wins and one loss. Their next fixture is a key trip to face fourth-placed Liverpool on Sunday 1 November. The squad will need to regroup quickly, with Bukayo Saka their top scorer this season with three goals in seven appearances. The team's recent form shows they are unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions, with three wins and two draws. This run includes a 2-0 league win over Everton last Saturday and a 2-2 draw with Bayern München last Wednesday. Overall this season, Arsenal have scored 13 goals and conceded five.
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