Reading v Arsenal: The greatest League Cup tie ever?

On Tuesday night Reading and Arsenal tore up the rule book, disposed with any concept of defence and battled out a slug-for-slug goalfest that witnessed an astonishing 12 goals. The Gunners came from 4-0 down after 37 minutes to level the game in the fifth minute of stoppage time. As if that wasn’t enough, extra time saw another four goals, including two decisive ones for Arsenal in the final minutes, just as penalties seemed inevitable.

Reading looked set to sail into the next round after goals from Jason Roberts, Mikele Leigertwood and Noel Hunt , and a Laurent Koscielny own goal, put them four to the good with eight minutes of the first half remaining. The home fans were delirious, the away support disgustedly chanting “we want our Arsenal back” and statisticians everywhere looking for the record books. The odds on the comeback at that stage ranged between very, very, very slim and none, according to betting experts freebetsfreetips.com

Theo Walcott gave Arsene Wenger’s side the faintest glimmer o hope by scoring in the 45^th minute but even then it would have been an optimistic Gooner to have believed the North London side would progress. But football never ceases to amaze and with 88 minutes gone Koscielny atoned for his earlier own goal by registering at the right end of the pitch. With whistles howling from the stands Walcott squeezed over his second of the night and the comeback was complete.

Well, almost complete. An injury time goal from Marouane Chamakh seemed set to finish Reading off but somehow the Royals managed to pick themselves up and Pavel Pogrebnyak levelled the game once more at 5-5. But it would be Arsenal, and especially Walcott who would have the last laugh as the pacy forward got his hat-trick before Chamakh completed the scoring with a fine lob.

So, 12 goals, including a hat-trick officially timed at 45, 90 and 120 minutes, a fight-back from 4-0 down, not to mention 49 shots and eight yellow cards. Was this the greatest League Cup match ever?

There have been some great clashes down the years, with the 1977 final replay between Villa and Everton right up there, the Villains winning 3-2 in extra time. That was probably the best final ever, whilst in the 1995-96 season York won 3-0 at Old Trafford, which would certainly count as one of the very best giant killings in the competition’s history.

But this one was on a whole different level for the sheer number of goals, the times at which they were scored and the enormity of the comeback. Reading became the first team in the history of the competition to score five and lose but, little comfort though it will be, they certainly played their part in the best League Cup tie ever.