Disgrace! Arsenal knocked out of the League Cup by a fourth-tier club

Fleetwood stun the English champions after a dramatic penalty shootout
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Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images

Mikel Arteta and Arsenal have suffered one of the most humiliating cup nights of their era.

Details: Arsenal have sensationally crashed out of the EFL Cup fourth round against League Two side Fleetwood Town. The match at Highbury Stadium finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, before the fourth-tier hosts completed a huge upset by winning the penalty shootout 5-3.

Fleetwood made their intentions clear from the start. Aaron Loupalo-Bi opened the scoring in the 21st minute, beating Arsenal goalkeeper Illan Meslier and sending the home crowd into a frenzy. Arsenal responded shortly after the break when Viktor Gyökeres equalised in the 50th minute.

Despite dominating possession and creating far more attempts, Arteta's team failed to find a second goal. The closing stages became even more difficult for the Gunners when 16-year-old Max Dowman was shown a straight red card following an off-the-ball incident.

With the score still level at the final whistle, the tie went directly to penalties. Fleetwood kept their nerve from the spot and won the shootout 5-3, knocking the reigning English champions out of the competition and booking a historic place in the quarter-finals.

It is worth noting that Arsenal's previous League Cup tie against a fourth-tier opponent also ended 1-1 before a penalty shootout defeat. In the 2012/13 season, Bradford City eliminated the Gunners in exactly those circumstances.

Reminder: Drone over the stadium! Fleetwood vs Arsenal suspended!

Steven Perez Steven Perez Dailysports's expert
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