I’ve confirmed the drone stoppage and Fleetwood’s early lead. Kick-off was 20:00 GMT tonight, so the match is still being played and I’ve left the final score out.
Arsenal’s Carabao Cup last-16 tie at Fleetwood Town was stopped for about eight minutes on Tuesday night when a drone was spotted above Highbury Stadium. The interruption came barely two minutes into the game.
Referee Michael Salisbury stopped play with the score at 0-0, just after Arsenal had been awarded a free-kick. He spoke with both technical areas, police and match organisers while the players waited on the pitch. Some of the crowd booed the hold-up. When the play finally resumed in the 10th minute, it restarted with the same Arsenal free-kick.
How the stoppage unfolded
The drone was first seen hovering over the pitch inside Fleetwood’s 5,327-capacity ground. For about five minutes, players from both sides passed a ball around to stay warm. Officials tried to find out where the device had come from. In the eighth minute, Salisbury called the two captains over to explain what was happening.
At one point the referee signalled for the players to go back to the dressing rooms. Just then the drone flew off, and the players were unwilling to go down the tunnel because they wanted to restart. Reports from the ground said the person flying the drone appeared to have been identified. One outlet reported that authorities had opened an investigation, but police had not confirmed this.
Reports differ on exactly how long the stoppage lasted, with estimates ranging from seven minutes to just under ten. That wiped out most of the opening ten minutes of a game Fleetwood had been building towards since the draw in September.
Fleetwood’s night of firsts
Fleetwood did not let the stoppage unsettle them. Twenty-year-old Aaron Loupalo-Bi, on loan from Fulham, gave the League Two side a shock lead after about 20 minutes. He was only playing because Lewis McCann was suspended. He controlled a through ball, turned past his marker and finished low into the corner.
This is the first time Fleetwood have reached the fourth round of the League Cup, in what is their 15th campaign in the competition. They got here by beating Sheffield United in the third round and have kept a clean sheet in all three of their League Cup ties at Highbury this season. They have never beaten top-flight opposition. They are also the lowest-ranked club left in the competition: they sit 18th in League Two and have lost five of their last seven league games after starting the season unbeaten in six.
Arsenal made nine changes to their team. Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Christos Tzolis were all missing through injury. Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres started up front, with Mickey Moseley… (no: Meslier) in goal. Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze were among the substitutes. The Premier League champions lost last season’s final to Manchester City and are trying to go one step further this time. They had won nine of their previous 12 League Cup matches.
- Competition: Carabao Cup, fourth round (last 16)
- Venue: Highbury Stadium, Fleetwood
- Referee: Michael Salisbury
- Stoppage: from the 2nd minute, about eight minutes, play resumed in the 10th minute
- Opening goal: Aaron Loupalo-Bi (Fleetwood), around 20 minutes
A growing problem for English football
This is not the first time a drone has stopped an English game. In January 2022, a drone over the Gtech Community Stadium halted Brentford’s Premier League match against Wolves. The players were taken off the pitch for safety reasons, under protocols that require play to stop when an unauthorised drone appears over a stadium.
Flying a drone over a crowded stadium without permission breaks UK aviation rules. Clubs, police and the governing bodies have treated these incidents as security matters rather than mere nuisances. Clubs worry about two things: a device falling onto spectators, and drones being used to film or broadcast matches without permission.
Highbury Stadium has none of the anti-drone equipment some Premier League grounds have tested. That makes this case a test of how lower-league clubs deal with the same threat when big clubs visit, crowds are larger and the TV cameras are there. The investigation will show whether the Fleetwood incident was a fan’s mistake or something deliberate.
The winners will be in Wednesday’s quarter-final draw, which takes place after Liverpool’s tie with Chelsea. For Fleetwood, the hold-up is now a footnote to what could be the biggest night in the club’s history.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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