According to a post shared on Fleetwood Town’s official Facebook account on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the League Two side recorded a historic Carabao Cup victory after defeating Arsenal on penalties following a 1-1 draw in their fourth-round encounter.

The result made Arsenal the first reigning Premier League champions to be eliminated from the League Cup by a fourth-tier club, marking a remarkable achievement for Fleetwood.

ESPN FC highlighted the significance of the result in a post, stating, “The first reigning PL champions to be knocked out of the League Cup by a League Two side 🤯”

The difference in the clubs’ financial resources made Fleetwood’s triumph even more remarkable. Arsenal’s squad was reportedly valued at €1.4 billion, while Fleetwood’s squad was worth approximately €2.8 million.

Despite the disparity, Fleetwood, who were 18th in League Two, held their own against their more illustrious opponents at Highbury Stadium before eventually securing victory in the penalty shootout.

Aaron Loupalo-Bi gave the hosts the lead before Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres restored parity for the Premier League side.

Arsenal’s chances of finding a winner suffered a further setback late in the second half when teenage forward Max Dowman was sent off, forcing the visitors to continue with 10 players.

Neither team managed to score again during regulation time, sending the contest into a penalty shootout to determine which side would advance to the next round.

Fleetwood converted all five of their spot-kicks, while goalkeeper Jay Lynch denied Bruno Guimarães from the penalty spot to give the home side a crucial advantage.

Nineteen-year-old defender Conor Haughey subsequently converted the decisive penalty to complete a 5-3 shootout victory and send Fleetwood through at the expense of the reigning Premier League champions.

The decisive kick triggered jubilant celebrations among Fleetwood’s players and supporters, with fans flooding the pitch to celebrate what could rank among the greatest victories in the club’s history.

For Arsenal, the defeat marked an unexpected end to their Carabao Cup campaign and handed the club an unwanted place in the competition’s history after they were eliminated by a fourth-tier opponent.