Premier League champs Arsenal humiliated by team 84 places below them in historic EFL Cup upset: 'The biggest cup shock of all time?'

Premier League champions Arsenal suffered a humiliating EFL Cup exit after fourth-tier Fleetwood Town pulled off an extraordinary penalty shootout upset, sparking a pitch invasion at Highbury Stadium. A staggering 84 places separated the clubs before kick-off on Wednesday (AEDT), but League Two strugglers Fleetwood prevailed 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their 118-year history.

"The biggest cup shock of all time?," Fleetwood - who are 18th in League Two with 14 points from 13 games - wrote via social media. Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch told Sky Sports: "My voice has gone from organising the defence.

The whole team throughout the game was magnificent. To beat the English champions - credit to these lads.

We took heart from Grimsby beating Man Utd last year. We were expecting a storm, we knew the conditions would be horrible, so we thought it might go in our favour.

Amazing for the club, the town. Honestly it means everything to everyone.

The biggest cup shock of all time? Viktor Gyokeres equalised five minutes after half-time, but Arsenal's hopes suffered another blow when 16-year-old sensation Max Dowman was sent off in the 85th minute after kicking out following a challenge.

It was on the far side of the pitch, but from what we saw, Dowman can't have any complaints," former Everton midfielder Leon Osman said via BBC Radio 5 Live. "Yes, there were a lot of challenges flying in thick and fast from both teams, and then, there was that moment when a huge challenge came in on him, but as I mentioned earlier, they happen so often.

And you have to know, as a good player, people are going to try to kick you at times, and that's what happened. It was a poor reaction from him and you hope he learns and he learns quickly.

Fleetwood held their nerve in the shootout, triggering wild celebrations as supporters flooded the pitch following one of the biggest results in the club's history. The match had earlier been halted for more than eight minutes after an unauthorised drone appeared above the stadium, with police reportedly locating its operator."