This is what English soccer calls a cupset. Elsewhere, you might call it a historic embarrassment. That is exactly what an unrecognizable and shockingly poor Arsenal produced in the Carabao Cup, sending the Premier League champions crashing out in the fourth round in the most humiliating way possible. They lost on penalties, with academy gem Max Dowman receiving the first red card of his career at just 16 years old. Fleetwood Town, just two points from relegation and dropping out of the professional ranks, advanced to the quarterfinals at Arsenal’s expense.

More than two decades after Arsenal returned to Highbury, it was Fleetwood’s Highbury, not the famous ground in north London, and the Gunners certainly did not look at home. They barely looked like themselves. After falling behind, starting Martin Zubimendi as the holding midfielder and seeing Dowman sent off, the reigning Premier League champions were eliminated from the League Cup by a League Two team. It was Grimsby Town beating Manchester United all over again. No wonder Mikel Arteta was furious.

The Fleetwood shock

Kickoff was delayed by eight minutes after a drone was spotted flying over the field, but eventually the game got underway at Highbury. Nobody wanted to miss a cup tie that had all the makings of a historic night.

And something historic was indeed brewing in Fleetwood. It was not simply because of the heavy rotation, perhaps excessive, that Arteta made to his starting XI, including Zubimendi and Cristhian Mosquera. Zubimendi was returning to the holding midfield role six months later. Rather, it was because a goal from modest, very modest, Fleetwood Town sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

Academy product Marli Salmon and debutant goalkeeper Ilan Meslier both showed after just 20 minutes that they were not ready for Arsenal’s level. At least, not this version of Arsenal. The League Two side, the fourth tier of English soccer, took the lead against the reigning Premier League champions after the center back failed to mark his man and the goalkeeper made a poor decision coming off his line.

Arsenal threw everything they had at the home goal, but the Gunners could not find a way to improve. They were getting forward, but they never looked convincing.

Dowman sent off, Arsenal knocked out

Even Viktor Gyökeres’ scrappy equalizer failed to bring out a better version of the Gunners. Just five minutes after Arteta hooked Salmon at halftime, the Swedish striker somehow made it 1-1. Arsenal finally reacted after a poor clearance by the hosts, with Gyökeres battling his marker to get the ball over the line.

The comeback could have been completed through a Kai Havertz volley or a close-range effort from Ben White after a cutback in the 90th minute, but both were denied on the goal line by Fleetwood defenders. The League Two side was defending for its life.

Then Dowman lost his cool. He had been taking plenty of punishment, but the 16-year-old Arsenal academy product reacted to a particularly heavy challenge in the worst possible way, kicking out at an opponent and receiving a straight red card. Arsenal were down to 10 men with five minutes remaining.

If the dressing-down Arteta gave the teenager as he headed toward the locker room was severe, imagine the reaction from the Spanish coach once Arsenal’s elimination was confirmed.

And yes, Fleetwood Town sent the reigning Premier League champions to a penalty shootout. The 18th-place League Two side had knocked out Arteta’s team at Highbury.

Both sides converted their first penalties until Bruno Guimarães missed for Arsenal. The Brazilian, who had come on late in the game, missed the chance to keep Arsenal alive and sealed the London club’s cup exit.

Fleetwood won the shootout 5-3, sending the Gunners crashing out of the League Cup in the most surprising and embarrassing fashion imaginable.

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