Fleetwood Town eliminated Arsenal 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw on 27 October 2026, according to Sky Sports' match report. The EFL confirmed Fleetwood's first appearance in the competition's quarter-finals.
Fleetwood hold on, then win the shootout
Aaron Loupalo-Bi put Fleetwood ahead at Highbury Stadium, according to the EFL's account of the match. Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres equalised after the interval, but Fleetwood continued to defend their goal. The EFL describes Jay Lynch's goalkeeping as central to keeping Arsenal from settling the tie in normal time.
Arsenal's Max Dowman was sent off after kicking out following a Harrison Neal challenge near the end of normal time. Fleetwood then faced a penalty shootout with Lynch still in goal. Lynch stopped substitute Bruno Guimaraes' kick, and Conor Haughey converted Fleetwood's decisive attempt, the EFL reported.
Fleetwood boss Matt Lawlor told Sky Sports after the match: “I'm going to be honest, we haven't practised once.” Lawlor was speaking specifically about the penalties. The result therefore came after a shootout his side had not rehearsed, according to Lawlor's account, as well as the defensive work described in the EFL report.
How Fleetwood reached a new cup stage
The EFL's 28 October report places Fleetwood 84 league positions below Arsenal. It also calls this Fleetwood's first Carabao Cup quarter-final. SportsRivo's earlier Arsenal report covered a Premier League win at Nottingham Forest; that league result belongs to a different competition from this cup exit.
SportsRivo checked the EFL's earlier round-four draw notice against its result report. The earlier notice said Fleetwood had reached that stage for the first time after beating Sheffield United. The latest win takes Fleetwood a stage farther, to their first quarter-final. Both milestones come from the competition's own accounts.
What the result changes for each club
- Fleetwood advance to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals for the first time and will enter the draw for an opponent, according to the EFL.
- Arsenal are out of the Carabao Cup. The EFL's result report confirms Fleetwood's progression, while the Premier League result covered in SportsRivo's earlier report remains a separate league outcome.
Fleetwood await the quarter-final draw
The EFL says the draw will follow Liverpool against Chelsea on Wednesday. The EFL's 26 October notice schedules quarter-final ties for the week commencing 14 December. Fleetwood's opponent had not been confirmed in the EFL's result report.
Source: English Football League