lead-art-block.fullscreen-enterExpandReferee Michael Salisbury addresses Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Fleetwood Town manager Matt Lawlor during the Carabao Cup, fourth round match at Highbury Stadium, Fleetwood. Picture date: Tuesday October 27, 2026.
Referee Michael Salisbury addresses Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Fleetwood Town manager Matt Lawlor during the Carabao Cup, fourth round match at Highbury Stadium, Fleetwood. Picture date: Tuesday October 27, 2026.
Fleetwood’s Carabao Cup fourth round tie against Premier League champions Arsenal was interrupted in the opening stages by a drone flying above Highbury Stadium.
Barely a minute of the match had been played when referee Michael Salisbury was alerted to the drone overhead.
Arsenal had been preparing to take a free-kick when Salisbury halted the match to speak with officials next to the touchline.
The referee then called both sets of players over to the touchline, speaking to both captains and managers, but moments later the drone flew off and play resumed after a delay of more than eight minutes.
This match is the biggest in Fleetwood’s 15-year history as a football league club, with this the furthest they have ever gone in the League Cup.