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No penalty practice for Fleetwood hero Haughey before he downs Arsenal

Belfast boy Conor Haughey relies on natural confidence to dispatch decisive spot-kick

2 min read
SummaryOpen the quick read
  • Fleetwood Town defeated Premier League champions Arsenal 5-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in normal time.
  • Aaron Loupalo-Bi opened the scoring for the League Two side before Viktor Gyokeres struck an equaliser for Arsenal.
  • Arsenal's 16-year-old talent Max Dowman was sent off late in the contest for violent conduct.
  • Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch denied Bruno Guimaraes in the shootout to hand the hosts the advantage.
  • Teenage defender Conor Haughey netted the winning penalty, crediting his Belfast roots and self-belief for the calm finish.
  • Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor hailed the result as 'mental' after guiding his fourth-tier squad into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Fleetwood Town's Northern Irish defender #16 Conor Haughey scores the winning penalty during a penalty shoot out following a 1-1 draw in the English League Cup fourth round football match between Fleetwood Town and Arsenal at Highbury Stadium in Fleetwood, north west England, on October 27, 2026.
Fleetwood Town's Northern Irish defender #16 Conor Haughey scores the winning penalty during a penalty shoot out following a 1-1 draw in the English League Cup fourth round football match between Fleetwood Town and Arsenal at Highbury Stadium in Fleetwood, north west England, on October 27, 2026. Picture: DARREN STAPLES / AFP

Fleetwood shootout star Conor Haughey did not even practise penalties before his decisive spot-kick saw the fourth-tier side knock Premier League champions Arsenal out of the League Cup in one of the all-time great upsets.

After Bruno Guimaraes was denied by Jay Lynch, the 19-year-old Haughey fired his shot into the top left corner, securing a 5-3 shootout win after a 1-1 draw in normal time on Tuesday.

Haughey's goal sparked a joyous invasion at Highbury, with Fleetwood's home ground sharing its name with Arsenal's former headquarters in north London.

Northern Ireland Under-21 defender Haughey attributed his upbringing for the confident manner in which he sent Arsenal crashing out in the fourth round.

"It's the way I've been brought up," he said. "Obviously I'm a Belfast boy. Where I grew up, if you're not confident you get eaten up, so you just take it in your stride whatever you do."

Aaron Loupalo-Bi's first-half goal had put Fleetwood ahead before Viktor Gyokeres equalised after the interval.

Arsenal's 16-year-old rising star Max Dowman was sent off for violent conduct in the closing stages.

With the match all square at the end of 90 minutes, and no extra time, the match then went to penalties.

Haughey, explaining why he felt no need for spot-kick preparation, added: "We all trust in each other's ability, we train with each other every day. You already know where you're putting it and just need to be technically good enough to put it where you want to."

Fleetwood boss Matt Lawlor was left struggling to come to terms with his side's achievement.

"I'm going to be honest now, I hoped, dreamed and we prepared for a game like that," he said. "But if you would have told me that would happen, I wouldn't have probably believed you.

"That we'd be through to the Carabao (League Cup) quarter-final and beating the champions of our country, I think it's mental."

The Herald