MX23RW : Tuesday, April 11 23:04:26| >> :120:24575:24575:

On This Day: Birmingham stun Arsenal to win EFL Cup

The Gunners went into the game as strong favourites but were upset by Birmingham and Obafemi Martins.

On this day in 2011, Birmingham beat Arsenal 2-1 to win the Carling Cup final.

Arsenal went into the final as red-hot favourites as they attempted to end their six-year wait for a trophy.

In the event, it was Birmingham striker Obafemi Martins who stole the headlines with a last-gasp winner which sent the silverware to St Andrews instead.

Birmingham goalscorers Obafemi Martins, left, and Nikola Zigic celebrate
Birmingham goalscorers Obafemi Martins, left, and Nikola Zigic celebrate (Clive Gee/PA)

The Gunners arrived at Wembley sitting in second place in the Premier League table and few gave the lowly Blues much chance of upsetting the odds in advance.

However, they set out their stall from the off and although they needed the help of a catastrophic error to seal their triumph, few could argue with the outcome.

Alex McLeish's men might have got off to the perfect start when midfielder Lee Bowyer was felled as he rounded keeper Wojciech Szczesny, a foul which would have resulted in a second-minute penalty and the Poland international's dismissal had a questionable offside flag not handed him a reprieve.

Unbowed, they took a 28th-minute lead through Nikola Zigic's header and although Robin van Persie levelled before the break, they were not to be denied.

As the clock ticked down towards the final minute, a mix-up between Szczesny and defender Laurent Koscielny allowed Nigeria international striker Martins to fire into an empty net to secure a famous 2-1 victory.

The joy of that day was tempered three months later when Birmingham slipped out of the top flight after winning just two of their remaining 12 league games.

Arsenal's disappointment was compounded when they were knocked out of both the Champions League and the FA Cup by Barcelona and Manchester United respectively before finishing in fourth place in the league.

ID:437017: cacheID:437017:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6170:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Norwich City's Teemu Pukki celebrates scoring their first goal against Birmingham City in the Championship on February 23, 2021
Read Next:
Daniel Farke: 'Teemu Pukki is the best player in the Championship'
>
rhs 2.0
Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal30234372294373
2Manchester CityMan City29214475274867
3Newcastle UnitedNewcastle291511348212756
4Manchester UnitedMan Utd2917574437756
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs30165955421353
6Aston Villa30145114140147
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton28137852361646
8Liverpool29128950351544
9Brentford30101374740743
10Fulham29116123940-139
11Chelsea30109112931-239
12Crystal Palace3089132940-1133
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves3087152442-1831
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2986152739-1230
15Bournemouth3086162857-2930
16Leeds UnitedLeeds3078153954-1529
17Everton3069152343-2027
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3069152454-3027
19Leicester CityLeicester3074194052-1225
20Southampton3065192451-2723

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!