Arsenal’s cup tie away to Fleetwood Town was delayed after only two minutes in bizarre circumstances due to a drone flying over the stadium.
The Carabao Cup last 16 clash barely had two minutes on the clock when the referee halted play after spotting the drone flying over Highbury Stadium.
The unique circumstances saw players and fans bemused, with players opting to pass the ball amongst themselves as the incident unfolded.
After a long delay of at least seven minutes which saw the referee talking with the grounds staff to understand what was going on, the referee signalled to send the players back to the dressing room.
But this only caused more confusion as the drone flew away at that moment, leaving players unwilling to go down the tunnel and wanting to restart play.
After the referee was satisfied, referee decided to resume play with 10 minutes on the clock to bring an end to a bewildering opening to the game in Lancashire.
Where to watch Fleetwood vs Arsenal: TV channel, live online streams
Kick-off on Tuesday is at 20:00 GMT (16:00 ET / 13:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Ultra.
Via Now TV, Sky Sports costs £14.99 for a day membership, £27.99 a month for a 12-month membership or £34.99 a month with no contract.
Fleetwood confirmed starting team vs Arsenal
Fleetwood make two changes from their 2-1 defeat at Exeter City in the fourth tier on Saturday.
Finley Potter has recovered from a cut above his eye and Andy Cannon has returned to training but Will Johnson and Kane Thompson-Sommers are injured.
Forward Lewis McCann is suspended for being booked twice in this season’s competition and is replaced by Aaron Loupalo-Bi.
Rhys Bennett’s ban is over and he comes back in for Ronan Coughlan.
Fleetwood Town: Lynch, Rooney, Haughey, Potter, Bennett, McLean, Neal, Helm, Batty, Evans, Loupalo-Bio
Substitutes: Pradic, Andrew, Cannon, Davies, Thomas, Murphy, Coughlan, Robertson, Cirino
Arsenal full line up vs Fleetwood Town
Arsenal make nine alterations from their win over the Toffees with only Myles Lewis-Skelly and Viktor Gyokeres keeping their places.
Piero Hincapie was an unused substitute against Everton after being sidelined for the draw at Bayern Munich in the Champions League last Wednesday.
William Saliba, Christos Tzolis and Bukayo Saka are injured.
Arsenal: Meslier; Timber, Salmon, Mosquera, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman, O’Neill; Havertz, Gyokeres
Substitutes: Kepa, White, Odegaard, Eze, Konsa, Guimaraes, Harriman-Annous, Washington, Hashi
Fleetwood Town vs Arsenal: Carabao Cup stats
- Fleetwood have never beaten top-flight opponents (D1 L4) but have reached the fourth round for the first time as part of their 15th EFL Cup campaign, their previous best runs finishing in the third round in 2022/23 and 2020/21
- Town’s last two exits from the competition have come via penalties, losing 7-6 at Barnsley after a 2-2 draw in last season’s first round and 3-2 at Stoke City after their third-round tie finished 1-1 in 2024/25
- Since a 1-0 defeat to Everton in the second round in August 2022, Fleetwood have won five successive home EFL Cup ties
- Following upsets against West Bromwich Albion and Rotherham United in 2023/24 – both finishing 2-1 – they have kept clean sheets in all three of their EFL Cup ties at Highbury Stadium this season, beating Chesterfield and Sheffield United 1-0 either side of a 4-0 victory against Shrewsbury Town
- A 2-1 defeat to Rochdale in League Two on September 26 is Fleetwood’s only loss in their last 12 home matches in all competitions (W6 D5)
- They had only advanced from six out of 20 EFL Cup ties before this season and had kept one clean sheet in 20 games, but they could now become the first fourth-tier side to keep four clean sheets in a campaign in the competition since Tranmere Rovers in 1988/89
- Arsenal have won nine of their last 12 matches in the EFL Cup, losing last season’s final against Manchester City and suffering two defeats to Newcastle in the 2024/25 semi-finals
- The defeat to City extended their 33-year wait to lift the trophy for a third time, having triumphed in 1987 and 1993
- Five of Arsenal’s last six defeats have been away from the Emirates Stadium, including a loss at a team from a lower division at Championship club Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4
- Eberechi Eze has been directly involved in seven goals in his last four EFL Cup appearances against sides from outside the Premier League (two goals, five assists), including the opener in a 2-0 win at Port Vale in last season’s EFL Cup
- Max Dowman scored twice in the third round at Ipswich aged 16 years and 258 days and has made three appearances in the EFL Cup, with Harvey Elliott the only player to feature more before the age of 17 for a Premier League club before turning 17 (one game for Fulham, three for Liverpool)
- This is Arsenal’s 10th EFL Cup tie against a side from the fourth tier of English football, winning eight times but losing on penalties at Bradford City in 2012/13 after a 1-1 draw in their most recent such game
Carabao Cup: When is the draw for the EFL Cup quarter finals?
The draw will take place on Wednesday, October 28 after the quarter-final between Liverpool and Chelsea.
Presenter Dave Jones will host the draw alongside former England defenders Conor Coady and Graeme Le Saux.
What time is the EFL Cup quarter final draw?
The game at Anfield kicks off at 20:00 GMT (16:00 ET / 13:00 PT) and will go straight to penalties if the scoreline is level after 90 minutes.
That means the draw is likely to take place at approximately 22:00 GMT (18:00 ET / 15:00 PT), depending on added time and whether spot kicks are required.
EFL Cup: What channel is the Carabao Cup draw on?
All eight ties are on Sky Sports, with the game between Liverpool and Chelsea also available on ITV1.
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