Two nights of League Cup shocks: Fleetwood knock out Arsenal on penalties as Liverpool edge Chelsea from the spot
The English League Cup produced two nights of shocks and drama in the last 16. On Tuesday 27 October, Fleetwood Town, who play in League Two, the fourth tier, knocked out league champions Arsenal 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The following night, Liverpool settled their heavyweight tie with Chelsea 6-5 on penalties after another 1-1 draw at Anfield.
In Fleetwood, a small coastal town in north-west England with a population of about 26,000, the hosts went ahead through Loupalo-Bi in the 21st minute before Viktor Gyokeres equalised for Arsenal early in the second half. Play was halted for around eight minutes because of a drone flying over the ground, and Arsenal finished with ten men after Max Dowman was sent off late on. In the shootout goalkeeper Lynch saved from Bruno Guimaraes, and Haughey scored the decisive kick to take Fleetwood into the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
More than 80 places separate the two clubs in the English football pyramid. Arsenal's squad is valued at about $1.6 billion against roughly $3 million for Fleetwood, who play at a small ground that, by coincidence, is called Highbury and holds no more than 5,300 spectators. The team is managed by 38-year-old Matt Lawlor, a local man who took charge on an interim basis in January before being appointed permanently in March, and who described the achievement as deeply moving so early in his coaching career.
At Anfield, in front of 60,214 spectators, Chelsea took the lead with a penalty from Morgan Rogers after Moises Caicedo was fouled, before Cody Gakpo levelled for Liverpool from the spot shortly before half-time after a handball by Wesley Fofana. The score stayed level to the end, and the shootout went to sudden death, where Joe Gomez scored for Liverpool and Fofana missed, sending the hosts into the quarter-finals.
Al Majlis Analysis: These two nights are a reminder that the League Cup is still the competition that gives smaller clubs a real chance to make history. Huge financial gaps are not played out on the grass, and a penalty shootout can close the distance between a 5,000-capacity ground and the champions of England. Arsenal's exit does, however, raise questions about the cost of wholesale rotation in secondary competitions, while Liverpool's win over Chelsea gives them a lift before their eagerly awaited league meeting with Arsenal on Sunday 1 November. As for Fleetwood, they have already secured a season the town will talk about for years, whatever happens in the quarter-finals.