Arsenal suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in their history as the Premier League champions were beaten by fourth-tier minnows Fleetwood in a League Cup penalty shootout on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta’s side crashed out 5-3 on penalties in an incredible fourth round upset after the tie finished 1-1 in normal time.
Arsenal’s Bruno Guimaraes had his penalty saved by Jay Lynch in the shootout and Conor Haughey scored Fleetwood’s winner.
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Mikel Arteta fielded a second-string line-up for the fourth round fixture, with Victor Gyokeres starting up top and prodigal talent Max Dowman sitting in behind the Swedish striker.
However, it was a disappointing outing for the 16-year-old, earning a straight red card in the 86th minute after a fiery reaction to a Harrison Neal challenge.
With Neal on the ground, the young gun lunged out with his knee, with Arteta cutting a frustrated figure on the sidelines as his star midfielder left the field.
Dowman’s send off wasn’t the only controversy during the clash, with a drone delaying play only two minutes into the clash.
The game was stopped for eight minutes, with referee Michael Salisbury fronting both team’s managers as players slowly made their way from the field.
However, the drone made an exit and dropped down in a local housing area according to the BBC, with police reportedly locating its operator.
Play resumed 10 minutes into the first half and Fleetwood’s Aaron Loupalo-Bi scored the first goal in the 21st minute, outmuscling 17-year-old Marli Salmon before finishing home past Illan Meslier.
Loupalo-Bi came through the ranks at Fulham, having been loaned to Fleetwood this season before scoring one of the most famous goals in the club’s history.
Gyokeres levelled the scores in the 50th minute with a less-than-convincing finish after being taken to ground.
But after regular time the teams could not be separated and Guimaraes missed gave 19-year-old Conor Haughey a chance to secure a fairytale win at Highbury Stadium.
The winger from Belfast found the back of the net and the Fleetwood faithful stormed the field in incredible scenes.
The Cod Army are currently sitting in 18th place in League Two — or 84 positions lower than Arsenal in the English football pyramid.
There’s also a staggering difference the squad’s values, or €1.3972 billion ($2.2 billion AUD) to be exact with Arsenal’s slew of stars worth €1.4 billion and Fleetwood’s squad equating to a modest €2.8 million.
To put that into perspective, Arsenal’s squad is worth 500 times more than the team they lost to on Tuesday.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Arteta heaped congratulated Fleetwood, but admitted the loss was sobering for his club.
“First of all, congratulations to Fleetwood for going through to the next round in the manner they have done it and the atmosphere they created,” Arteta said.
“Yeah, a really sad day for us. I cannot fault at all the attitude of the players, I haven’t seen anyone not doing what is required at this level.
“But we insisted so much, we had so much of the ball, so many chances, so many shots.”
Arteta was also quizzed on Dowman’s red card, saying: “It’s difficult to see on the cameras like that, so I prefer to watch it back properly and then I can assess the situation.
“Yeah, we all learn from everything.”
And despite the loss, the Spaniard had no concerns about his team’s approach to the game.
“Attitude wise I have zero (concerns). Otherwise I would be here absolutely fuming, I’m sad, I think we are all sad,” Arteta explained.
“We have a massive responsibility to carry this badge in the best possible way. It was nothing to do with effort, or application and determination to go and win it.
“But we lack other things… today with what we produced it should have been shown in the scoreline.”
Meanwhile, the football world erupted, with 1993 Arsenal League Cup winner Paul Merson
“Whoever they play, I hope they get a good draw to go and play against some of the great players we’ve got in the Premier League,”
“And they won’t be scared, if they get someone at home they will cause problems. Fair play to them tonight, I have sat here and watched a miracle.”