Conor Haughey fired home the decisive spot kick as League Two side Fleetwood Town knocked Premier League champions Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup, winning the penalty shootout 5-3 to reach the EFL Cup quarter-finals for the first time in the club's history.
The 19-year-old, a product of the club's youth system after signing from Glentoran in Northern Ireland, said: "You have to pick your side and trust yourself. All our players did that."
Fleetwood, 18th in League Two with only three league wins this campaign, beat the Gunners in front of 5,002 people at Highbury Stadium. Haughey paid tribute to the "unbelievable support" at the ground, adding: "It is a historic night."
A Historic Night at Highbury
Haughey was the youngest ever Glentoran player when he made his debut at 15 years, three months and eight days old. His former coach at Glentoran, academy director Andy Mathieson, said: "He would have hit the last penalty in the World Cup final if he got the chance. Nothing ever fazed him. The sky's the limit for him."
The winner sparked scenes of delirium as manager Matt Lawlor rushed to embrace him during a mini pitch invasion. Lawlor admitted the victory was totally unexpected given the gulf between the two sides.
There were 84 places between Arsenal and Fleetwood Town, whose 5,327-capacity stadium on the Fylde Coast is eight miles north of Blackpool in Lancashire. The players earn an average of £2,000 a week, with a total wage bill of around £2.7 million and a transfer budget of around £1.6 million. Arsenal star Bukayo Saka earns around £350,000 a week, and the Gunners spent around £223 million in the transfer market this year.
Unpredictable Conditions and a Missed Penalty
The cup tie had everything: a drone delayed kickoff, Arsenal's young star Max Dowman was sent off, and the weather created unpredictable conditions. £75 million signing Bruno Guimaraes missed the Gunners' decisive penalty after the game ended 1-1.
Lawlor, who coached Haughey in the junior ranks before becoming manager, said his players and staff celebrated into the early hours. He joked: "The players and staff all gathered in the bar afterwards and had a few too many. I did not consider that we could win the game, it was more about the feeling in the stadium and the crowd. But credit to the players who got us to the raffle that is penalties and we pulled out the winning ticket."
Celebrations and Tributes
Lawlor added: "I just kept thinking that if we could get ourselves to penalties. They brought on so many big guns to win it but the truth is that we managed to do it and we deserved it. Not a lot happens in Fleetwood but there has been a great atmosphere about the place. It is amazing that a 19-year-old did it for us in the end. This will pay the wages for a few weeks."
Rick Gilby, chairman of the Fleetwood fans' 'Cod Army', admitted he was 'still in disbelief'. He said: "The number of people who walked away last night saying, 'What has just happened?' Our ground is called Highbury like the old Arsenal ground but that's where the comparison ends. You could fit the entire 26,000 population of the town into Arsenal's ground. It will take us some time to process this." Defender Jake Batty added: "We just came up with some magical moments and obviously that's one to tell the grandkids, isn't it?"
Lawlor also paid tribute to opposition manager Mikel Arteta, who shook his hand and congratulated him in the tunnel after the game. The victory earned Fleetwood a place in the Carabao quarter-finals, and Lawlor said: "I would love to go to Anfield or the Etihad now."
