There is an upset on the cards in the Carabao Cup last 16 after League Two Fleetwood Town took a shock lead against Premier League champions Arsenal.

The match at Highbury started in bizarre circumstances after play was stopped for several minutes due to a drone flying ovet the stadium, but once play resumed the hosts were able to land the first blow.

With 21 minutes on the clock, Aaron Loupalo-Bi sent Highbury (not that one) into dreamland with what could turn out to be a famous goal for the Lancashire outfit.

The on-loan Fulham forward chased a ball in behind and used his strength to get the better of Arsenal teenager Marli Salmon before driving into the penalty area.

He stayed on his feet under pressure and calmly poked the ball through Islan Meslier’s legs to spark wild celebrations.

FLEETWOOD TAKE THE LEAD! 😱

Loupalo-Bi puts League Two side Fleetwood ahead against Arsenal 💥 pic.twitter.com/zTFEkCp0oL

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 27, 2026

It was a moment of pure drama for Fleetwood, who started the night just two points above the League Two relegation zone.

Arsenal’s defending left plenty to be desired, with Salmon isolated one-on-one, but Loupalo-Bi took full advantage to put the underdogs in front.

There is still a long way to go, but Fleetwood have given themselves a famous opportunity to pull off a huge EFL Cup upset which would live long in the memory of those fans.

Where to watch Fleetwood vs Arsenal: TV channel, live online streams

Kick-off on Tuesday is at 20:00 GMT (16:00 ET / 13:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Ultra.

Via Now TV, Sky Sports costs £14.99 for a day membership, £27.99 a month for a 12-month membership or £34.99 a month with no contract.

Fleetwood confirmed starting team vs Arsenal

Fleetwood make two changes from their 2-1 defeat at Exeter City in the fourth tier on Saturday.

Finley Potter has recovered from a cut above his eye and Andy Cannon has returned to training but Will Johnson and Kane Thompson-Sommers are injured.

Forward Lewis McCann is suspended for being booked twice in this season’s competition and is replaced by Aaron Loupalo-Bi.

Rhys Bennett’s ban is over and he comes back in for Ronan Coughlan.

Fleetwood Town: Lynch, Rooney, Haughey, Potter, Bennett, McLean, Neal, Helm, Batty, Evans, Loupalo-Bio

Substitutes: Pradic, Andrew, Cannon, Davies, Thomas, Murphy, Coughlan, Robertson, Cirino

Starting against the Arsenal. 🖇️

🤝 Fox Group pic.twitter.com/1dHunJopWv

— Fleetwood Town Football Club (@ftfc) October 27, 2026

Arsenal full line up vs Fleetwood Town

Arsenal make nine alterations from their win over the Toffees with only Myles Lewis-Skelly and Viktor Gyokeres keeping their places.

Piero Hincapie was an unused substitute against Everton after being sidelined for the draw at Bayern Munich in the Champions League last Wednesday.

William Saliba, Christos Tzolis and Bukayo Saka are injured.

Arsenal: Meslier; Timber, Salmon, Mosquera, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman, O’Neill; Havertz, Gyokeres

Substitutes: Kepa, White, Odegaard, Eze, Konsa, Guimaraes, Harriman-Annous, Washington, Hashi

🔵 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 🟡

Your Carabao Cup Gunners 👊

🤝 @deel

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 27, 2026

Fleetwood Town vs Arsenal: Carabao Cup stats

• Fleetwood have never beaten top-flight opponents (D1 L4) but have reached the fourth round for the first time as part of their 15th EFL Cup campaign, their previous best runs finishing in the third round in 2022/23 and 2020/21
• Town’s last two exits from the competition have come via penalties, losing 7-6 at Barnsley after a 2-2 draw in last season’s first round and 3-2 at Stoke City after their third-round tie finished 1-1 in 2024/25
• Since a 1-0 defeat to Everton in the second round in August 2022, Fleetwood have won five successive home EFL Cup ties
• Following upsets against West Bromwich Albion and Rotherham United in 2023/24 – both finishing 2-1 – they have kept clean sheets in all three of their EFL Cup ties at Highbury Stadium this season, beating Chesterfield and Sheffield United 1-0 either side of a 4-0 victory against Shrewsbury Town
• A 2-1 defeat to Rochdale in League Two on September 26 is Fleetwood’s only loss in their last 12 home matches in all competitions (W6 D5)
• They had only advanced from six out of 20 EFL Cup ties before this season and had kept one clean sheet in 20 games, but they could now become the first fourth-tier side to keep four clean sheets in a campaign in the competition since Tranmere Rovers in 1988/89
• Arsenal have won nine of their last 12 matches in the EFL Cup, losing last season’s final against Manchester City and suffering two defeats to Newcastle in the 2024/25 semi-finals
• The defeat to City extended their 33-year wait to lift the trophy for a third time, having triumphed in 1987 and 1993
• Five of Arsenal’s last six defeats have been away from the Emirates Stadium, including a loss at a team from a lower division at Championship club Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4
• Eberechi Eze has been directly involved in seven goals in his last four EFL Cup appearances against sides from outside the Premier League (two goals, five assists), including the opener in a 2-0 win at Port Vale in last season’s EFL Cup
• Max Dowman scored twice in the third round at Ipswich aged 16 years and 258 days and has made three appearances in the EFL Cup, with Harvey Elliott the only player to feature more before the age of 17 for a Premier League club before turning 17 (one game for Fulham, three for Liverpool)
• This is Arsenal’s 10th EFL Cup tie against a side from the fourth tier of English football, winning eight times but losing on penalties at Bradford City in 2012/13 after a 1-1 draw in their most recent such game

Carabao Cup: When is the draw for the EFL Cup quarter finals?

The draw will take place on Wednesday, October 28 after the quarter-final between Liverpool and Chelsea.

Presenter Dave Jones will host the draw alongside former England defenders Conor Coady and Graeme Le Saux.

What time is the EFL Cup quarter final draw?

The game at Anfield kicks off at 20:00 GMT (16:00 ET / 13:00 PT) and will go straight to penalties if the scoreline is level after 90 minutes.

That means the draw is likely to take place at approximately 22:00 GMT (18:00 ET / 15:00 PT), depending on added time and whether spot kicks are required.

EFL Cup: What channel is the Carabao Cup draw on?

All eight ties are on Sky Sports, with the game between Liverpool and Chelsea also available on ITV1.