Reading 5 Arsenal 7 After extra time. 4-4 after 90 mins:ARSENAL ATONED for a shambolic first-half performance to storm back from four goals down and snatch a remarkable victory in extra-time thanks to goals from Marouane Chamakh (103rd and 123rd minutes) and Theo Walcott (120th). Earlier Walcott's 96th-minute equaliser had given the Gunners an unlikely reprieve, after the fourth official had indicated four minutes of added-on time.
Walcott had begun the incredible fightback at the end of the first half after a feeble start had helped Reading rack up a four-goal lead within 37 minutes.
Arsene Wenger made it clear beforehand that he remains unimpressed with the League Cup and his line-up reflected that as he omitted all 11 of the players who started Saturday’s league win against QPR. In came 17-year-old midfielder Serge Gnabry for his senior debut and goalkeeper Damian Martinez for a second appearance, but Arsenal still fielded plenty of presumed quality, with the likes of Walcott, Laurent Koscielny and Andrei Arshavin.
Arsenal arrived ill at ease and their condition rapidly deteriorated. After three minutes Reading’s Sean Morrison headed a corner against a post. Haplessness has been a hallmark of Arsenal goalkeepers for a while now, but on this occasion fortune favoured Martinez as the ball rebounded off his back and clear.
His luck would not last, even if the 20-year-old made a solid save from Jay Tabb moments later when Reading pierced the ramshackle visiting defence anew. After 12 minutes that defence was in disarray again as Noel Hunt, fending off a flimsy challenge in midfield, flipped the ball to Hal Robson-Kanu on the left. Koscielny did not appear to know where Jason Roberts was as the striker slammed the winger’s cross into the net from six yards.
Where Reading were vibrant and fluent, Arsenal were plain feeble. The home team cut through them again in the 18th minute before Chris Gunter fired in a low cross from the right and Koscielny shanked it into his own goal. Two minutes later Arsenal staggered further into farce as they lost the ball at the edge of their area and then watched as Mikele Leigertwood cantered into the box and let fly.
Martinez made a spectacular attempt to palm the shot away but his technique failed him and he slapped the ball into the net. Since Arsenal put up scant resistance, Reading helped themselves to a fourth goal in the 37th minute, Hunt sending a fine header in off a post after an equally fine cross from Gareth McCleary.
Walcott temporarily cheered up the away fans on the stroke of half-time by racing on to a pass from Arshavin and lifting the ball over Adam Federici and into the net.
If the home fans feared that Walcott’s smart finish might stimulate an Arsenal fightback, their concerns must have receded at the start of the second period when a long Reading pass triggered more chaos in their box and Robson-Kanu found himself with a free header from eight yards. This time Martinez pushed it wide.
Arsenal did at least perk up to threaten at the other end, especially through Walcott, who thrived on occasional through-balls through the middle. But it was his exquisite delivery from a corner that led to them cutting the deficit further in the 65th minute, when Olivier Giroud headed into the net from eight yards.
Two minutes from time, Koscielny encapsulated Arsenal’s improvement by heading a corner into the net at the right end. And in the sixth minute of stoppage time – one more than the referee had indicated – a punt into the box resulted in Walcott sending a shot fractionally over the line.
READING: Federici, Gunter, Gorkss, Morrison, Shorey, Tabb, McCleary (McAnuff 73), Leigertwood, Robson-Kanu, Roberts (Church 90), Hunt (Pogrebnyak 73). Subs not used: Stuart Taylor, Pearce, Le Fondre, Harte. Booked: Leigertwood, Morrison.
ARSENAL: Martinez, Jenkinson, Koscielny, Djourou, Miquel (Meade 105), Arshavin, Frimpong (Giroud 62), Coquelin, Walcott, Chamakh, Gnabry (Eisfeld 62). Subs not used: Shea, Squillaci, Bellerin, Yennaris. Booked: Miquel, Chamakh, Giroud, Koscielny, Martinez, Eisfeld.
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire).
