SOCCER/English League Cup quarter-finals: Arsenal were mightily relieved to survive a long night, scraping through to the last four after winning on penalties. Only a goal in the last minute of extra-time by the Brazilian Gilberto Silva gave his side the chance to contest the shoot-out after an impressive Doncaster team looked assured of claiming their third, and most illustrious, Premiership scalp in the competition following the substitute Paul Green's goal in the 104th minute.
Granted, Arsene Wenger fielded an under-strength side here but he cannot have anticipated his young pretenders, who were lucky to be level after 90 minutes, struggling to contain Dave Penney's highly impressive League One side in a compelling encounter.
Wenger's mood can hardly have been enhanced by the fact that Doncaster's Michael McIndoe proved the outstanding individual, with a host of Premiership scouts watching the left-winger here.
Wenger saw his side fall behind as early as the fourth minute. Arsenal, and Emmanuel Eboue in particular, were caught cold by Paul Heffernan's pass which found McIndoe on the left. McIndoe scored against Premiership opposition as Rovers overcame Manchester City and Aston Villa in the two previous rounds and, after accelerating on to the ball, his low, first-time, angled shot into the bottom corner proved similarly unerring here.
While McIndoe had demonstrated the art of "passing" the ball into the net, Arsenal were struggling to gain possession, let alone keep it for long as Dave Penney's team denied them time and space with ruthlessly efficient closing down. It could have been worse for Wenger had James Coppinger elected to cross rather than shoot tamely at Manuel Almunia after getting the better of Pascal Cygan, Arsenal's left-back for the night. When Arturo Lupoli had an inviting shooting chance he delayed his shot, allowing the giant Doncaster goalkeeper Jan Budtz - dubbed "the new Schmeichel" by some in his native Denmark - to spread himself and block the striker's route.
Shortly after, Lupoli lost his attacking partner when Robin Van Persie hobbled off after being clattered heavily on an ankle by the generally impressive Steve Roberts, the Dutchman throwing his gloves on the ground in disgust as he departed.
One Arsenal player evidently relishing the occasion was Nicklas Bendtner, Van Persie's replacement, who brought the best out of Budtz with a powerful header after being set up by Lupoli. Almunia did equally well to quash the danger when Heffernan again exposed Arsenal's defensive frailties by racing clean through, only to be denied by the keeper's impeccably timed dash and swoop to smother the ball.
The busier goalkeeper, Almunia was subsequently required to beat the on-rushing Thornton's shot away for a corner after the midfielder's connection with Lewis Guy's right-wing cross with Cygan again guilty of positional negligence.
Arsenal ran out for the second half with cries of "break tha bloody legs" echoing from the tightly packed terraces but Penney's men are far from a stereotypical League One up-and-at-'em team and rarely resorted to kicks and nudges. Moreover in McIndoe and Thornton they boasted two of the best individuals on view and with Eboue again embarrassed, McIndoe's cross saw Thornton go mighty close with a half-volley.
Doncaster were starting to hurt Arsenal with some of their passing and one manoeuvre ended in Heffernan and then, on the rebound, Guy spurning the most straightforward of chances. Yet, with Hleb sporadically showing superior touches, Penney must have feared his men would rue that double miss.
So it proved when the 19-year-old Quincy Owusu-Abeyie equalised with a right-foot shot from around 20 yards which flew into the top corner with the aid of a hefty deflection off Thornton.
DONCASTER: Budtz, Fenton, Foster, Stephen Roberts, McDaid, Coppinger (Neil Roberts 102), Thornton (Green 85), Ravenhill, McIndoe, Guy (Oji 115), Heffernan. Subs not used: Fortune-West, Nielsen. Booked: Fenton, Ravenhill, McDaid. Goals: McIndoe 4, Green 104.
ARSENAL: Almunia, Eboue, Senderos, Djourou, Cygan, Hleb, Song Billong, Silva, Owusu-Abeyie (Larsson 78), Van Persie (Bendtner 33), Lupoli (Gilbert 106). Subs not used: Poom, Muamba. Booked: Cygan, Djourou. Goals: Owusu-Abeyie 63, Silva 120.
Referee: P Dowd (Staffordshire).
