Arsenal’s Carabao Cup last 16 clash away to Fleetwood Town was delayed after only two minutes in bizarre circumstances due to a drone flying over Highbury Stadium. As reported by 101 Great Goals, the unique situation left both players and fans bemused as play was halted with barely two minutes on the clock.
Match Delay and Confusion
Following a long delay of at least seven minutes during which the referee spoke with grounds staff to understand the situation, the official signaled for players to head back to the dressing room. However, this caused further confusion because the drone flew away at that exact moment, leaving the players unwilling to go down the tunnel and wanting to restart the action. Once satisfied, the referee ultimately decided to resume play with 10 minutes on the clock, bringing a bewildering opening to the game in Lancashire to an end.
Team Lineups and Changes
Fleetwood made two changes from their 4th-tier defeat at Exeter City, with Finley Potter returning from a cut above his eye and Andy Cannon back in training, while Will Johnson and Kane Thompson-Sommers were sidelined with injuries. Forward Lewis McCann served a suspension for picking up two bookings in the competition this season and was replaced by Aaron Loupalo-Bi, while Rhys Bennett returned from a ban in place of Ronan Coughlan. Fleetwood’s starting lineup featured Lynch, Rooney, Haughey, Potter, Bennett, McLean, Neal, Helm, Batty, Evans, and Loupalo-Bio.
Arsenal made nine changes from their win over Everton, keeping only Myles Lewis-Skelly and Viktor Gyokeres in the starting XI. Piero Hincapie remained an unused substitute after recovering from a sideline absence, while William Saliba, Christos Tzolis, and Bukayo Saka were injured. Arsenal deployed a starting side consisting of Meslier, Timber, Salmon, Mosquera, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman, O’Neill, Havertz, and Gyokeres.
Competition Statistics and History
Fleetwood entered the fixture having never beaten top-flight opponents across five previous attempts, though they reached the fourth round for the first time in their 15th EFL Cup campaign. Meanwhile, Arsenal had won nine of their last 12 matches in the EFL Cup, though their pursuit of the trophy has extended past three decades since their last triumph in 1993.
The draw for the EFL Cup quarter-finals will take place on Wednesday, October 28, following the quarter-final match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield. The draw will be hosted by presenter Dave Jones alongside former England defenders Conor Coady and Graeme Le Saux, and is expected to take place at approximately 22:00 GMT.
