arsenal
Arsenal staged a stunning League Cup fightback at Reading last night.
After trailing 4-0 in the first half, the Gunners advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-5 extra-time victory after Theo Walcott
scored a hat trick.
On a thrilling night for English football's second-tier knockout competition, three Premier League clubs - Southampton, Sunderland and Wigan - were beaten by lower-league opposition.
The biggest shock came at Wigan where fourth-tier club Bradford won a penalty shootout 4-2 after the match ended 0-0.
Southampton exited after losing 3-0 to Leeds of the League Championship. Middlesbrough advanced 1-0 at northeast rival Sunderland.
It was a nervy night for Aston Villa, which only eliminated third-tier club Swindon 3-2 after Christian Benteke's 90th minute goal.
Meanwhile: A new criminal investigation into racism in English football began yesterday when police opened a case into claims referee Mark Clattenburg directed "inappropriate language" at two Chelsea players in Sunday's highly charged league encounter against Manchester United.
Clattenburg is accused of abusing Chelsea midfielders John Obi Mikel and Juan Mata during Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Red Devils. Clattenburg is yet to respond to the allegations.
Chelsea and Manchester United clash again tonight in the League Cup with Sir Alex Ferguson wishing the ref Lee Mason good luck.
