Arsenal staged a stunning League Cup fightback at Reading after trailing 4-0 in the first half on Tuesday, advancing to the quarter-finals with a 7-5 extra-time victory after Theo Walcott scored a hat-trick.
Walcott netted in injury time in both halves, and then in the last minute of extra time as well in a game that always seemed to offer up a new twist.
"It was an unbelievable game," Walcott said. "We've scored seven goals away from home - it was great going forward. Maybe defensively it wasn't great at times, but we're in the draw and that's what matters."
Arsenal's performance in the first half was so poor that some Gunners fans left the stadium after the team conceded a fourth goal in the 37th minute as Reading dominated against its Premier League rival.
But after Walcott pulled one back just before halftime, he took the game into extra time with a last-gasp equalizer in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Substitute Olivier Giroud had netted the second for Arsenal and Laurent Koscielny made it 4-3 in the 89th. Marouane Chamakh put Arsenal ahead for the first time in extra time but Reading drew level again.
