Arsenal knocked out of League Cup by fourth-tier Fleetwood Town

Fourth-tier Fleetwood beat 10-man Arsenal 5-3 on penalties in ⁠the League Cup last 16, pulling off a major upset.

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Fleetwood Town players celebrate after Jay Lynch saves a penalty from Bruno Guimaraes of Arsenal to win the match [Carl Recine/Getty Images]

Arsenal’s 16-year-old rising star Max Dowman was sent off for violent conduct in the closing stages.

Arteta paid the price for prioritising Sunday’s Premier League trip to Liverpool as his decision to make nine changes backfired spectacularly.

No one would have predicted Arsenal’s embarrassment regardless of Arteta’s selection gamble.

They had moved level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City after a 2-0 victory over Everton on Saturday.

But instead of extending their run of 11 wins from their 13 previous games, Arsenal returned to north London red-faced after a loss that ranks among the darkest days in the club’s glittering history.

Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal suffered a shock League Cup loss against fourth-tier Bradford on penalties in 2012.

Arteta’s team were beaten by second-tier Southampton in the FA Cup last season and also lost to Nottingham Forest, then in the Championship, in the same competition in 2022.

Supporters of an older vintage will recall Arsenal’s 1969 League Cup final loss against third-tier Swindon and their 1992 FA Cup exit at fourth-tier Wrexham.

But even those painful defeats cannot compare with this remarkable result.

Fleetwood Town manager Matt Lawlor celebrates after beating Arsenal [Carl Recine/Getty Images]

It was a scrappy effort that left Fleetwood feeling aggrieved as Gyokeres wrestled with his marker before poking O’Neill’s ball past Lynch from close range.

Dowman saw red in the 85th minute, dismissed for kicking out at Harrison Neal after a strong challenge from the Fleetwood midfielder.

Although it looked a harsh decision, Arteta was unimpressed with Dowman, giving him a stern word as the midfielder trudged off.

Both teams scored their first three penalties in the shootout, but Guimaraes was denied by Lynch and Haughey held his nerve to seal the biggest shock in League Cup history.