Fleetwood Town stunned Arsenal 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Highbury Stadium, with goalkeeper Lynch denying Guimaraes to send the English champions crashing out of the EFL Cup.
An early drone interruption preceded a major cup upset. Loupalo fired Fleetwood ahead in the 21st minute before Gyokeres equalised five minutes after the restart with his first goal of the season. Downman’s 85th-minute dismissal left Arsenal with ten men, and the hosts eventually prevailed 5-3 on penalties.
Fleetwood Town: The hosts held their nerve in the shootout, converting all five penalties through Coughlan, Neal, Davies, Cannon and Haughey. Goalkeeper Lynch’s crucial save from Guimaraes sealed a historic victory.
Arsenal: Despite Gyokeres ending his scoring drought, the Gunners suffered a humiliating elimination. Odegaard, Havertz and Gyokeres converted their penalties, but Guimaraes’ miss proved costly after Downman’s late red card.