Fleetwood Town defender Conor Haughey scored the winning penalty in a 5-3 shootout victory over Premier League champions Arsenal in the Carabao Cup last-16 at Highbury Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The 19-year-old Northern Ireland Under-21 international's spot-kick sent Arsenal goalkeeper Illan Meslier the wrong way and sparked a pitch invasion. Haughey, from Belfast, said his phone was flooded with messages for hours after the match.
His emotional post-match interview, which included strong language, went viral on social media. Haughey explained the outburst came from overwhelming emotion and his upbringing in the New Lodge area.
Haughey, who became Glentoran's youngest debutant at age 15 in 2022 before joining Fleetwood in 2023, volunteered to take the fifth penalty after Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch saved Bruno Guimaraes' effort. He described the moment as surreal and said the magnitude of the upset has not fully sunk in.
Northern Ireland senior manager Michael O'Neill was in attendance to watch Arsenal's Ceadach O'Neill, a former academy roommate of Haughey, make his first start for the Gunners. Haughey expressed a desire to face Manchester City in the quarter-finals.
