Carabao Cup: Fleetwood dump Arsenal out after penalty shootout
by Moronfolu Adeyemi · The Eagle OnlineArsenal suffered a humiliating fourth-round exit from the Carabao Cup on Tuesday after League Two side Fleetwood Town defeated the Premier League champions 5-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw at Highbury Stadium.
The encounter was briefly interrupted in the opening minute after a drone flew over the stadium, forcing referee Michael Salisbury to suspend play.
Arsenal were preparing to take a free-kick when Salisbury was alerted to the drone.
He subsequently called both teams’ players, captains and managers to the touchline to discuss the situation.
Play resumed after a delay of more than eight minutes when the drone flew away.
The tie marked the biggest match in Fleetwood’s 15-year history as a football league club, with the League Cup run representing their furthest progress in the competition.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made nine changes to the side that defeated Everton 2-0 in the Premier League the previous weekend, but the reshuffled team struggled against their lower-league opponents.
Marli Salmon, one of the players brought into the starting line-up, was at fault for Fleetwood’s opening goal in the first half.
Aaron Loupalo-Bi, formerly of Fulham, collected a forward pass, turned the young Arsenal defender and calmly finished past Illan Meslier to send the home supporters into celebration.
Despite Arsenal’s efforts to find an equaliser, Fleetwood went into half-time with a 1-0 advantage.
Arteta responded at the break by introducing Martin Odegaard and Ben White for Jurrien Timber and Salmon, with the captain’s arrival helping to change the momentum.
Also Read:
- Carabao Cup: Fleetwood dump Arsenal out after penalty shootout
- Dangote Refinery’s landmark IPO closes with investors from 120 countries
- Grange School wins third NNPC-SNEPCo InterSchools Swimming Competition
- Four confirmed dead, seven injured in Lagos accidents
- BUA Cement donates N12m to families of Sokoto crash victims
Five minutes into the second half, Arsenal drew level when Viktor Gyokeres bundled the ball into the net following a dangerous delivery from Ceadach O’Neill.
The visitors pushed for a winner but suffered another setback with five minutes of normal time remaining when Max Dowman was sent off.
The youngster was shown a red card following his reaction to a strong challenge by Fleetwood’s Harrison Neal, with the dismissal appearing to follow an attempt to kick out at the opposition player.
Neither side could find a decisive goal before the match went to a penalty shootout.
Fleetwood converted their penalties to secure a 5-3 victory, completing a historic upset and ending Arsenal’s Carabao Cup campaign in disappointing fashion.
[wpadcenter_ad id='745970' align='none']