Fleetwood Town Knock Arsenal Out of Carabao Cup on Penalties

Fleetwood Town have produced one of the most startling results in Carabao Cup history, beating Premier League champions Arsenal on penalties to reach the quarter-finals. A League Two club eliminating the reigning league champions is the kind of result that rarely happens in this competition, and the gap between the two sides made it all the more jarring.

The shootout decided a tie that most observers would have expected Arsenal to control on reputation, resources and squad quality alone. Fleetwood, three divisions below the Premier League, kept themselves in contention and then held their composure when the spot-kicks arrived, giving their supporters a night they are unlikely to forget.

For Arsenal, the exit is a sharp setback in a cup they will have wanted to make a serious run in. It also raises an uncomfortable question about how a club of their standing could fall to opponents from the fourth tier of English football, and it leaves them with one fewer route to silverware this season.