Fleetwood vs Arsenal stopped as drone flying over stadium sparks police intervention

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Arsenal’s Carabao Cup fourth round tie against Fleetwood Town was suspended for nine minutes after a drone flew over the stadium.Referee Michael Salisbury stopped play inside two minutes of kick-off due to the incident.The match was stopped after just two minutes by the refereeGettyThe referee could be seen speaking to officials on the touchline following his decision to stop the action.Both sets of players remained on the pitch at Highbury Stadium whilst the match was halted.However, the pause in play lasted for several minutes, causing the players to begin passing balls between them to stay warm.Supporters inside the stadium made their feelings known, meanwhile, booing as Salisbury spoke to the two managers.Salisbury at one point ordered the players off the pitch, however, he reversed his decision after a conversation with a police officer pitchside having been assured the drone was safely away. Following a delay of around eight minutes, the match resumed.According to Sky Sports, police had located the operator of the drone.The last 16 clash had kicked off at 8pm, live on talkSPORT, with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs.Just 12 minutes after the match restarted, the home side grabbed a shock lead through striker Aaron Loupalo-Bi.The on-loan Fulham man broke the deadlock after racing onto a ball in behind the Arsenal defence.View Tweet: https://t.co/TvjNjjACFMOnce inside the penalty area, he evaded a challenge from Marli Salmon before slotting through the legs of Illan Meslier.It is the 20-year-old’s fourth goal since joining Fleetwood from the Cottagers in August.Tonight’s tie marks the first competitive meeting between the Gunners and their League Two opponents.Meanwhile, this season marks the Cods’ best Carabao Cup performance in their history.Prior to this term, Fleetwood had only reached the third round twice in 2020 and 2024, losing on both occasions.Matt Lawlor’s side have beaten Chesterfield, Shrewsbury Town and Sheffield United to get this far.This is a developing story and is being updated.For the latest updates, breaking news alerts, and comprehensive analysis, refresh this page or follow our real-time news coverage by watching and listening to talkSPORT live.For broader context, explore related coverage on our homepage for the top trending stories. For the latest talkSPORT videos, download the app.talkSPORT cares about getting it right, not just getting it first and because this is a developing situation, details will change. We will be updating this page constantly with verified info, expert takes, and official statements.Stay tuned for further developments as this story continues to break.