FULL TIME: Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 Arsenal
Arsene Wenger has never won this tournament, so it’s to his credit that he smiles warmly as he congratulates his opposite number Carlos Carvalhal. Wednesday, deserved winners, move on to the quarter finals. They’re the last team from outside the top flight to win this competition, back in 1991. They couldn’t, could they? On this evidence, as poor as a disorganised and inexperienced Arsenal were, anything is possible!
90 min +2: Campbell dinks a cute pass down the inside-left channel to release Iwobi into the area, but as he shapes to shoot, the debutant sees the ball clobbered away for a corner by Loovens. From the set piece, Campbell has a whack in the centre, but the ball squirts off to the left. There’s to be no consolation goal for the 1993 League Cup winners.
90 min: There will be three added minutes. Arsenal can’t get out of Dodge quickly enough. The home support are enjoying some bedlam.
89 min: Giroud curls a cross into the Wednesday box from the left. Wildsmith comes off his line to claim with confidence. “This Tuesday’s Wednesday is giving me a serious case of the Mondays,” wails renowned Arsenal lyricist Grant Tennille.
88 min: Giroud, who has been invisible for the most part, goes barrelling down the left wing. He enters the area, and Wednesday are light at the back, but Lees slides in with a perfectly timed challenge to put a stop to the striker’s gallop.
86 min: Campbell is booked for a tired and frustrated slide on Pudil, as the left back goes on a wander down the wing. He doesn’t bother complaining.
85 min: Joao, who dealt the decisive blow in the first half with that second goal, is afforded a deserved round of applause of his own. He’s replaced by Atdhe Nuhiu.
84 min: McGugan picks up a ball down the left wing, turns to face goal, and curls powerfully towards the top right. He’s overhit that a wee bit, though it’s not the worst effort you’ll ever see.
82 min: Chambers, on the halfway line, passes down the right channel to absolutely nobody. Wenger holds his arms out in a mix of despair and what-the-hell-was-that incredulity. Perhaps that last smidgen of hope has just ebbed away.
80 min: Hutchinson has taken a bit of a clatter to his leg, and limps off to be replaced by Lewis McGugan. Now here’s a player who knows how to score a spectacular goal or two. On the touchline, Arsene Wenger has a face on, livid at the time Wednesday are taking to make the switch. He’s not given this up yet.
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78 min: Arsenal are still knocking it around nicely in the middle of the field. Why couldn’t they find this groove earlier, before it was (presumably) way too late? “Looks like February’s coming early this winter,” writes Matt Dony. So much knowing information packed in one tiny barb, huh. Arsenal fans will take succour at the number of first-team regulars elsewhere with their feet up and a cigar on.
75 min: Bannan has put in a superlative performance tonight, and he’s warmly appreciated by the Wednesday faithful as he walks off, to be replaced by Jose Semedo.
73 min: It’s all Arsenal right now in terms of possession. But Wednesday are looking fairly comfortable. Bielik attempts to release Campbell down the inside-right channel but his threaded pass is way too strong. Meanwhile here’s some consolation for Arsenal fans, courtesy of Allan Castle: “However bad this is, they don’t have to spend the week defending Mourinho.”
71 min: Iwobi and Debuchy combine down the right, where the visitors are beginning to get a little joy. The corner isn’t great, easily bundled away from danger by Wednesday, Bannan eventually drawing a foul upfield to relieve the pressure. But this is better from Arsenal. At last. At long last.
69 min: Flamini is granted possession to the right of the Wednesday D. He pitching-wedges a glorious diagonal ball towards the left-hand post, where Mertesacker rises and sends a header towards the top left. Wildsmith tips over brilliantly, an instinctive save, and the resulting corner is cleared.
68 min: Debuchy makes a bit of ground down the right, having finally woken from his slumber. His cross is overcooked. But he’s soon coming back at Wednesday, and wins a corner down his flank with another storming run. And from the set piece ...
66 min: Arsenal are showing no sign whatsoever of launching a Reading-style comeback. A free kick out on the right. Iwobi attempts to find Giroud in the area with a chipped floater, but the ball goes nowhere near his team-mate and out of play to the left of goal. Joe Wildsmith, 19, deputising in the Wednesday goal, has had absolutely nothing to do tonight.
63 min: Looks like Wednesday’s third was a Debuchy own goal, the defender poking his leg out in desperation and meeting the ball before it hit Hutchinson’s thigh. Hutchinson would have followed it in anyway, so you can’t blame the defender for that one. Meanwhile here’s Mike McCarthy: “For so long we have suffered as Wednesday fans but games like this are why you carry on doing a mad thing like supporting a team. We’ve been glorious. I am getting drunk.” There’s confidence for you! Still half an hour to go! I’m incapable of celebrating victories until a few weeks after the final whistle, just in case there’s been some sort of administrative error. Different strokes, and all that.
60 min: The final change for Arsenal. A fourth debutant, the young Polish midfielder Krystian Bielik, comes on for Kamara.
59 min: Helan bursts with purpose down the left, and he’s got a yard on the uninterested Debuchy. The full back slides in, upends his man, and goes in the book. As does Loovens, for an earlier challenge on Iwobi.
57 min: “We’re Sheffield Wednesday, we’re on our way back.” It’s fair to say there’s a feelgood atmosphere in this ground tonight.
55 min: ... the busy Bannan finds space down the left and whips a cross into the Arsenal box. Joao rises to meet with the nut, eight yards out, and really should score, but his effort flashes wide right of the target with Cech’s feet planted. Arsenal are all over the shop here. Wednesday are brilliant, but Arsenal are in danger of disgracing themselves.
54 min: This is astonishing. So much for Arsenal keeping up their recent momentum. Joao goes bombing down the left to win a corner. Debuchy could hardly be bothered to get across to close down his man. And from the corner ...
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GOAL! Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 Arsenal (Hutchinson 51)
... flicks a diagonal ball to the right-hand post, where Lees sidefoots across the face of goal. Coming in at the far post is Hutchinson, who bundles untidily over the line. But hey, they all count, and a young, inexperienced and shocked Arsenal are in danger of being routed here!
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51 min: Joao is a real handful. Chambers grabs his shirt as the pair contest a high ball down the left channel, and this is another chance for Wednesday to load the box at a free kick. Bannan takes, and ...
50 min: Wallace wafts a dreadful free kick into the area. Giroud heads purposefully clear. Wednesday come back at Arsenal, though, with Wallace picking up possession again down the right. He’s got space to work a cross, but once again fails to deliver with the box packed.
49 min: Lee dribbles down the inside-right channel. Mertesacker slides in and fails to make contact. Lee goes down anyway, and earns a saucy free kick. Anything Giroud can do, etc. A free kick in a dangerous position, just outside the Arsenal area by the right-hand corner.
47 min: Wednesday are full of confidence, as you’d expect. Lee snaps at Kamara’s heels to win the ball in the centre circle. Bannan takes up possession and attempts to lash one from a stupid distance past Cech. Nope! But there’s a sign that Wednesday aren’t going to sit back on their lead.
And we're off again!
“The only good thing likely to come out of this for Arsenal is the banning of these wretched shirts,” writes Charles Antaki. “In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t junk them at half-time, à la Man Utd and their grey shirt fiasco v. Southampton all those years ago.” Heh. They certainly need to try something, but there’s to be no big shirt switcheroo. Arsenal remain in their fancy new black, blue and yellow clobber, and they get the ball rolling for this second half.
Half-time entertainment: Here’s Peterborough United making a better fist of things at Hillsborough than Arsenal back in 1960.
HALF TIME: Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Arsenal
Giroud goes to ground easily, winning a cheap free kick off a light Lee challenge. Wallace, incensed with the decision, is booked for the ferocity of his yap. Nothing comes of the set piece, and that’s that for a dramatic first half. Arsenal have had terrible luck with injuries, but take nothing away from Wednesday, who thoroughly deserve this lead. Arsenal will do very well to turn this around. It promises to be one hell of a second half. Go nowhere! Stay!
45 min: Here’s a stat, then: Joao has never lost in a game in which he’s scored! Arsenal did for Ian Rush in the 1987 final, but can they do a similar number on the 22-year-old here? All signs currently point to no, though of course a good team talk could see them right.
43 min: Hunt embarks on a sortie down the right, and very nearly edges his way past Gibbs. But the danger’s snuffed out just before the cross can come in.
41 min: Campbell latches onto a gorgeous long Flamini pass down the right wing. He’s clear in the area, but went a fraction of a second too early, and the flag goes up. A sign that Arsenal aren’t quite finished yet. A better timed run, and this match would suddenly be back on for the visitors.
GOAL! Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Arsenal (Joao 40)
This is no more than the brilliant Joao deserves. He powers down the inside-left channel, past Kamara, and is only denied a shooting opportunity by the backtracking Flamini, who pokes out for a corner on the left. Wednesday pull it back down the wing for Wallace, who curls one to the far post, where Joao rises to plant a header into the top right. Cech had no chance with that. Wednesday are rampant!
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38 min: Young buck Iwobi thrusts down the left, cuts inside and lashes a low shot into the Wednesday side netting from the edge of the area. The Championship side will be happy to see Arsenal taking long-range potshots like this already.
36 min: A brief lull, which might give Arsenal time to clear their heads. Speaking of thrusting young bucks, here’s Joseph Christoff: “Stodgy olds like Lou Roper make for no end of amusement. He probably also hates the use of numbers above 11 and the existence of game clocks. I hope his favorite team abandons their classic kit and plays only in day-glo and blacklight-active uniforms.”
33 min: Wallace sends a ripper towards the top right. If that’s on the postage stamp, Cech’s not getting to it. The ball flies inches wide of the post. Wednesday so close to a two-goal lead. There’s one hell of an atmosphere in Hillsborough right now. The home fans sense Arsenal might be there for the taking.
32 min: The ball’s dropping on the edge of the Arsenal box. Joao shapes to send a volley goalwards, but he’s clipped from behind by Flamini. A free kick for Wednesday in a very dangerous position, just outside the D, dead centre.
30 min: Hutchinson is booked for a late slide on Iwobi. He’s lucky not to see red, because his studs crumped onto the youngster’s knee, and he really wasn’t in control there. A free kick for Arsenal, 25 yards out, level with the left-hand post. Iwobi takes, and it’s not very good.
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GOAL! Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Arsenal (Wallace 28)
They’ll be happy enough now all right! This is a picture-book goal! Bannan rakes a defence splitting pass down the left to release Pudil into acres of room. He reaches the byline and cuts the ball back to the edge of the area. Wallace, meeting the ball first time on the left-hand edge of the D, sidefoots powerfully into the left-hand side of the net! Cech had no chance! What a gorgeous team move by the Championship side. Premier League quality, if not better!
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26 min: There really is very little happening here. 1993 seems like an awfully long time ago. Wednesday will be happy enough.
24 min: Campbell goes on a power meander down the right, and shoulders Pudil off the ball with extreme ease. He’s got time to fashion a dangerous ball into the box, where there are plenty of black-and-yellow-and-blue-and-white shirts, but he inexplicably blooters a witless cross high out of play to the left of goal.
22 min: So it seems Walcott hadn’t warmed up properly, and this one is his manager’s fault. Walcott got up from the bench and started his exercises when Oxlade-Chamberlain was getting treatment, only to be told to get on the field immediately, if not sooner. Oh Arsene! “And would it hurt anyone outside of Uefa to permit replays in cups again?” adds Lou Roper, warming to a theme and now in full public-bar philosopher mode. “Must be this fixture causing these halcyon notions.”
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19 min: Nope, Walcott can’t continue. He trudges off, and here comes Ismael Bennacer, Arsenal’s second substitute and third debutant of the night.
17 min: This is farcical. Walcott, the substitute, is down rubbing his calf. He doesn’t look particularly happy either. A lot of frowning. He trudges off the pitch with the Arsenal physio. He’s hanging around the touchline, waiting to go back on, though he glances across to his bench with a shake of the head and a face on. He’s back, but not for long I’ll be bound.
15 min: Iwobi strides down the inside-left channel before sliding the ball out for Gibbs, who earns the first corner of the match. Walcott takes, and fails to beat the first man. This hasn’t been much of a spectacle so far.
12 min: Gibbs embarks on a skitter down the left, and very nearly nips past Hunt, but the Wednesday full-back sticks on his man and eventually forces a miscontrol. Goal kick. “Teams that choose to play in a change (‘away’) strip for no reason should begin the match a goal down,” argues Lou Roper. “Those who choose to play in a ‘third’ (inevitably some bizarre ‘fashion statement’) should start two goals down. Of course, this presumes the FA are actually interested in preserving what is left of the game’s traditions. Sigh.” Preach on, brother. And the sooner they reinstate a length of tape between the two posts instead of these new-fangled crossbars, so much the better.
10 min: A long hoick down the inside-left channel, and Giroud is free in the area. He’s offside, though he takes a whack at goal anyway. The weak effort is easily fielded by Wildsmith.
9 min: Word is that Oxlade-Chamberlain felt a tightening of the hamstring, and Arsenal weren’t in the mood to take any chances. A rare old atmosphere at Hillsborough, despite bugger all happening on the pitch.
7 min: No real shape to this match yet, the early injury to Oxlade-Chamberlain not helping there. “Tonight’s Arsenal strip looks like a can of Castrol lubricant from the 1980s, only not that attractive,” opines Charles Antaki. “But it’s actually less awful than their third strip from last year which had - gasp - diagonal bands. Not a sash - diagonal, curvy, bands! Blasphemy.” The once-infamous banana effort of the early 1990s looks quite restrained these days, doesn’t it.
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5 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain is able to make his own way off the pitch - so hopefully this is a precautionary measure rather than anything serious - but he’s not looking happy. A sorry shake of the head as he’s replaced by Theo Walcott.
4 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain is on the floor. He tried to turn away from Hutchinson, and has twisted something or other. He’ll not be able to continue.
2 min: Wednesday are snapping into their tackles early doors. Arsenal are not being allowed time to settle. The Scottish Scholes, Barry Bannan, is already covering plenty of ground in the excitable fashion.
And we're off!
The hosts get the ball rolling. Arsenal soon pick up possession, with Oxlade-Chamberlain looking to send Campbell skittering away down the right. But his pass to the flank is behind his team-mate and flies into touch. The majority in this full house at Hillsborough enjoyed that.
Wednesday rotate a lot these days, but they make just the two changes from their previous match at Rotherham. Kieren Westwood is injured, so young keeper Joe Wildsmith takes his place. Meanwhile Fernando Forestieri is cup-tied, so Jeremy Helan is in. Arsenal make eight changes from the weekend win over Everton. Two debutants: the 19-year-old Nigerian attacking midfielder Alex Iwobi, and defensive midfielder Glen Kamara of Finland, who is also 19, but only for one more day. Here’s Wenger: “Kamara is a strong boy with a good engine. Iwobi is more of a striker. He’s quite efficient and likes to score goals. We want to show respect and humility to lower-division sides, and to come here and qualify we must show the proper attitude.”
Carlos Carvalhal speaks! “It will be very hard to beat Arsenal. All our games are hard, even in the Championship. We prepare well, and have a competitive team. But these teams have a lot of players that can change everything in one second. We must have 100 percent concentration. And we must do goals. With a 0-0, you can’t go through!”
The teams
Sheffield Wednesday: Wildsmith, Hunt, Lees, Loovens, Pudil, Wallace, Lee, Hutchinson, Bannan, Helan, Lucas Joao.
Subs: Palmer, Semedo, Nuhiu, McGugan, Bus, Sasso, Price.
Arsenal: Cech, Debuchy, Chambers, Mertesacker, Gibbs, Flamini, Kamara, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Iwobi, Campbell, Giroud.
Subs: Gabriel, Walcott, Monreal, Macey, Bielik, Bennacer, Sheaf.
Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire)
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Preamble
This is England 93. John Major and Back to Basics. Roy Hattersley and the tub of lard. Carlton and Meridian. Graham Taylor and Davide Gualtieri. Schindler’s List and The Fugitive. Whitney Houston and Meat Loaf. Suede and Blur. And of course Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal.
What a side Wednesday had back then. Trevor Francis’ side had finished third in the league in 1991-92, and the following season reached both cup finals with a star-studded squad: Chris Woods, Nigel Worthington, Roland Nilsson, Carlton Palmer, Viv Anderson, Danny Wilson, Paul Warhurst, Mark Bright, John Sheridan , David Hirst and the great Chris Waddle. They should have added at least one more trophy to the League Cup they won as a second-division outfit in 1991. But they didn’t. And that was down to ...
... Arsenal, who had a pretty fine selection of players themselves too. George Graham’s squad included David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn, Paul Merson, Paul Davis, David O’Leary, Alan Smith and the effervescent Ian Wright. The Gunners reached both cup finals in 1993 too, and were too much for the Owls. Steve Morrow scored the winner in the League Cup final and got his shoulder dislocated in the celebrations for his trouble; Chris Woods let Andy Linighan’s header slip through his hands in the last-minute of extra time in the FA Cup final replay, the latest winning goal in the history of the grand old tournament.
Heartbreak for Wednesday, and chances are there’ll be more of that tonight as the teams meet again in the fourth round of the League Cup. That’s not our prediction, but that of Wednesday coach Carlos Carvalhal, who gives his side a “10 percent chance” of beating Arsene Wenger’s side at Hillsborough tonight. “It is not very much, but it is better than zero.” And in fairness, he might have a point. Attack-minded Wednesday, comfortably mid-table in the Championship and possessed of a fresh upwardly mobile mindset, might have seen off Premier League Newcastle in the last round, and are on an eight-game unbeaten run. But Arsenal have just beaten Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Watford and Everton in quick succession.
Still, it’s cup football, and anything can happen. So if Carvalhal isn’t of a mind to talk this up, then we surely must. So here we go. It’s cup football! Anything can happen! It’s on!
Kick off: 7.45pm.
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