Arsenal · Carabao Cup · Fourth round

Fleetwood 1–1 Arsenal: cup exit on penalties

Arsenal lost 5–3 on penalties at Fleetwood after a 1–1 draw on 27 October. Viktor Gyökeres cancelled out Aaron Loupalo-Bi’s opener, but the League Two side reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

Match and reports · 27 October 2026 · Highbury Stadium, Fleetwood

The result

Fleetwood Town 1–1 Arsenal. Fleetwood won 5–3 on penalties. There was no extra time. Arsenal’s Carabao Cup campaign ended in the fourth round.

The decisive moments

Reuters reports that Loupalo-Bi beat Marli Salmon and scored after an early drone interruption. Gyökeres equalised soon after half-time from debutant Ceadach O’Neill’s delivery. O’Neill’s assist was a positive on a difficult night.

Max Dowman was sent off in the 85th minute for kicking out at an opponent, according to AP. Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch was decisive: Reuters records his late save from Ben White; talkSPORT reports that he then stopped Bruno Guimarães’ penalty. Conor Haughey converted the winning kick as Fleetwood scored all five.

What it means and what comes next

Fleetwood advance to their first Carabao Cup quarter-final. Arsenal next visit Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday 1 November, at 4.30pm GMT, confirmed by Liverpool’s fixture announcement.

Southwood perspective

Southwood’s view: rotation explains the changed team, but it cannot explain away a cup exit against fourth-tier opposition. O’Neill’s contribution offers encouragement; the bigger lesson is that possession and a recovery goal are not enough without a decisive finish. The response at Anfield now matters more than arguments about the draw.