• Capital One Cup

Wenger 'proud' as Arsenal avoid disaster

Arsene Wenger was left exhausted by his team © PA Photos

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted to going through a full range of emotions as he watched his side come back from 4-0 down to defeat Reading 7-5 in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night.

Staring an embarrassing defeat in the face at half-time despite Theo Walcott dragging the scoreline back to 4-1, subsequent strikes from Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Walcott again (deep into injury time) miraculously sent the game to extra time.

A fine strike from Marouane Chamakh then put Arsenal ahead, before they were pegged back by substitute Pavel Pogrebnyak. But, with the game seemingly heading for penalties, Walcott completed his hat-trick and Chamakh added a second to complete a barely believable 7-5 triumph.

"We went from disaster to pride because we came back in the second half with a decent performance," Wenger said."At one point all we had was hope because it didn't look like we'd go through. But we got the disastrous first half out of our system.

"The ninth goal looked like the winner because Reading had given a lot and mentally were down. But we looked comfortable in extra time.

"Reading had a fantastic first half and I know what it's like to be caught at 4-0 up. They should take credit from that performance.

"At 4-1 down I thought the comeback was possible because we were creating many chances in the second half.

"At 4-0 up a team thinks it has won the game. At 4-1 up you still think you've won.

"At 4-2 you suddenly realise it's not over and then the panic kicks in and that goes through the team.

"This competition was not one of our priorities but had we gone out in the way we could have, that would not have been one of my proudest moments.

"I was very proud of the way we responded in the second half."

Reading had reasons to feel aggrieved late in the 90 minutes, with Koscielny twice lucky to avoid a second booking while Walcott's second goal - which appeared to cross the line, before Carl Jenkinson made absolutely sure - came more than five minutes into injury time, when only four had been signalled by the fourth official.

Wenger's opposite number Brian McDermott said: "If it's four minutes, you don't mind another 30 seconds but not another two minutes. I was waiting for him to blow his whistle but he'll have his reasons."

Reflecting on his team's shocking collapse, he said: "The goal we conceded just before half-time (was crucial), we've got to clear that and make sure it's 4-0.

"I wasn't comfortable at 4-1, I don't know why but I just had that feeling. These have got good players and they hurt us. What happened tonight was extraordinary, I've never seen anything like that from Reading at the Madejski Stadium.''

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