Late firing from Gunners

Arsenal came back from the brink of a League Cup exit against league one Doncaster to win 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out at Belle Vue and book t...

Arsenal came back from the brink of a League Cup exit against league one Doncaster to win 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out at Belle Vue and book their place in this season’s semi-finals.

It looked as if Doncaster, who were playing non-league football just over two years ago, were going through 2-1 in extra-time only for Brazil World Cup-winner Gilberto to snatch an equaliser in the second minute of stoppage time at the end of the additional 30 minutes.

Gilberto put Arsenal, fielding a second-string team, ahead in the shoot-out before Michael McIndoe levelled. Pascal Cygan then made it 2-1 before Doncaster’s Stephen Roberts hit the post.

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Substitute Sebastian Larsson chipped in to make it 3-1 and then home striker Paul Hefferan saw his weakly-struck spot-kick well-saved by impressive keeper Manuel Almunia.

There was another twist when Arsenal’s Aleksander Hleb saw his penalty saved by Doncaster’s Danish keeper Jan Budtz to keep Rovers in the tie.

But Paul Green, who’d put Doncaster 2-1 up in extra-time, then saw Almunia block his penalty effort to ensure two-times League Cup winners Arsenal went through to the last four where they will now be away to Wigan.