Fleetwood Town, a League Two side, knocked Premier League champions Arsenal out of the 2026-27 League Cup on Tuesday, sealing the most famous night in the tiny fishing village club’s history.
The Cod Army took the lead in the 21st minute. Aaron Loupalo-Bi, the 20-year-old forward on loan from Fulham, got in behind Arsenal’s defence and beat backup goalkeeper Illan Meslier, who was making his debut for the Gunners, with a low, hard finish.
Mikel Arteta brought on senior stars Martin Odegaard and Ben White at half-time, and Arsenal were level through Viktor Gyokeres after just five minutes. Arsenal dominated the second half and out-shot Fleetwood 15-2. However, the visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 85th minute when Max Dowman, aged 16, was sent off for kicking out at an opponent following an aggressive slide tackle.
Shootout Heroics
Fleetwood converted all five of their penalty kicks in the shootout. Goalkeeper Jay Lynch then saved his side’s fourth-round kick from Bruno Guimaraes, sending out a club that sits 84 places above them in the Football League pyramid.
Fleetwood Town spent 10 seasons in League One, the highest level the club has ever reached, from 2014 to 2024. They were relegated back to the fourth tier that year.