Fleetwood goalkeeper Lynch reveals Arsenal players refused to speak after Carabao Cup shootout shock

Fleetwood Town goalkeeper Jay Lynch has revealed that Arsenal’s players refused to interact with their opponents after the League Two side’s stunning Carabao Cup penalty shootout victory on Tuesday night. The Cod Army converted all five of their spot-kicks at Highbury Stadium, with Lynch saving Bruno Guimarães’ effort before Conor Haughey stepped up to seal a 5-3 win that sent supporters streaming onto the pitch.

Speaking after the match, Lynch described the atmosphere in the immediate aftermath as one-sided. “It’s obviously such a huge moment for us and all the fans ran on, no one actually got chance to speak to them,” he said. “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.”

Fleetwood, currently 18th in League Two, made the early running when Fulham loanee Aaron Loupalo-Bi fired them ahead after 21 minutes against a heavily rotated Arsenal side that struggled to find any rhythm on the Fylde coast. The introduction of captain Martin Odegaard at half-time shifted the momentum, and Viktor Gyökeres grabbed his first goal of the campaign in the 50th minute to level the tie.

Arsenal continued to press for a winner but were dealt a significant blow when teenage midfielder Max Dowman was shown a red card with five minutes remaining after lashing out at Harrison Neal following a robust challenge. Manager Mikel Arteta was visibly furious with the youngster as he left the pitch, and the club have since lodged an appeal against the dismissal.

Lynch was not done even after full time, producing crucial saves from Ben White and Odegaard before the shootout confirmed one of the more remarkable upsets of the Carabao Cup in recent memory. For Fleetwood, a club competing four divisions below Arsenal, the victory represents a landmark moment in their history.