Drone Forces Stoppage Two Minutes Into Fleetwood vs Arsenal Carabao Cup Tie

Play in the Carabao Cup tie between Fleetwood and Arsenal was stopped barely two minutes after kick-off, when a drone appeared over the pitch. The referee halted the game while the aircraft was dealt with, and both teams were left waiting on the grass for the match to resume.

Interruptions like this are rare at any level of the professional game, but they are not unheard of. Unauthorised drones have disrupted matches at stadiums across Europe in recent seasons, and clubs and stewards generally treat them as a safety issue, since a device falling into a crowd or onto a player could cause serious injury.

For a lower-league side hosting a Premier League club, an early delay can be a strange way to begin a cup night, particularly one that many supporters had turned out for. It is the kind of moment that can break the rhythm of a game before either side has settled into it.

Details about where the drone came from, and whether anyone will face action over it, were not included in the initial report. Further information from the clubs or the competition organisers would be needed to fill in those gaps.