Fleetwood Town goalkeeper Jay Lynch has revealed that Arsenal's players did not take their Carabao Cup defeat well after the League Two side knocked the Gunners out on penalties on Tuesday night. The Cod Army converted all five of their spot-kicks, while Bruno Guimaraes saw his effort saved in the decisive moment for Mikel Arteta's men.
Shootout heroics seal historic win
Lynch was the shootout hero, pushing away the Brazilian's penalty to give Fleetwood the upper hand, before Conor Haughey stepped up to seal a remarkable 5-3 victory. Wild scenes followed the winning penalty, with supporters streaming onto the pitch to mark a historic triumph for the Lancashire club.
Lynch has since revealed that Arsenal's players did not exchange any words with their Fleetwood counterparts after the loss. Speaking on talkSPORT, Lynch said: "It's obviously such a huge moment for us and all the fans ran on, no one actually got chance to speak to them.
"I think the gaffer spoke to their gaffer briefly, but because of all the fans we didn't actually get a chance to ask for shirts or even speak to them or anything, to be honest. They didn't take it well, let's put it that way."
Comeback and red card drama
Fleetwood, who currently sit 18th in League Two, caused an early stir when Fulham loanee Aaron Loupalo-Bi fired them in front after 21 minutes, against a heavily-rotated Arsenal outfit that struggled to find any rhythm on the Fylde coast.
The introduction of Martin Odegaard proved to be a pivotal moment in the tie, with the Gunners looking noticeably more threatening after the break, drawing level in the 50th minute when Viktor Gyokeres just managed to grab his first goal of the campaign.
Yet, as Arsenal piled on the pressure without managing to find a winner, frustrations boiled over when teenage sensation Max Dowman was shown a red card with just five minutes left on the clock. The Gunners have since lodged an appeal against the dismissal, which came after Dowman lashed out at Harrison Neal following a robust challenge, with manager Mikel Arteta visibly rounding on the youngster as he trudged off the pitch.
Nerve from 12 yards
Lynch still had time to produce crucial saves from Ben White and Odegaard before the match was settled by a penalty shootout, in which Fleetwood held their nerve from 12 yards to seal a stunning and memorable victory.
