Fleetwood Town defeated Arsenal in a penalty shootout on Tuesday to advance to the EFL Cup quarter-final for the first time in the club's history. An 84-place league gap separated the two teams.
Aaron Loupalo-Bi scored for Fleetwood after 21 minutes. Viktor Gyokeres equalized for Arsenal in the second half. The match went to penalties after Fleetwood held on, with Max Dowman sent off for Arsenal after kicking out at Harrison Neal. Conor Haughey struck the winning penalty for Fleetwood. Goalkeeper Jay Lynch made saves to deny Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Bruno Guimaraes during the shootout.
Fleetwood sit 18th in League Two with one win in their past eight league games. Arsenal are the reigning Premier League champions.
Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor told Sky Sports: "The biggest night in the club's history in terms of opposition coming to town and we've managed to beat the champions."
Goalkeeper Lynch told Sky Sports he drew inspiration from Grimsby's victory over Manchester United in the same competition last season. "It's amazing for the club, the town. Honestly it means everything to everyone," he said.
Left-back Jake Batty said on BBC Radio 5 Live the team should approach the quarter-final without fear and hope for a home tie. Fleetwood face Bristol Rovers in the league on Saturday.