RICHARD OSLEY reports as ARSENAL are knocked of the Carling Cup with a 1-0 loss to MANCHESTER CITY at the EMIRATES STADIUM

IN the end, it was the £38 million man who won it. Proof that even the Carling Cup doesn't come cheap. Sergio Aguero shot in a sweeping counter attack move with seven minutes of a lifeless, dare we say it, boring cup tie at Ashburton Grove. And that was that: one shot on goal in the entire match and into the next round.

If Arsenal really wanted to win this one, and they showed appetite for it last season so why not this?, they probably should have taken on the Premiership leaders with a stronger team. The young boys (and Squillaci) did well, frustrating Aguero, Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko for long periods. But there was always the nagging feeling that City would do what they did. Fitter, faster, better, miles more expensive, Arsene Wenger's moralistic approach of building a team counts for nothing in a cup contest like this.

The most worrying thing for Arsenal clearly have little to call on in terms of firepower up front. Robin Van Persie rested, Wenger turned to Maroune Chamakh for firepower. The guy has international and Champions League experience. He was once trailed by several big teams across Europe. He needed to be better than this. His positioning and passing were poor. As he missed a late header, you could almost see Arsene Wenger's patience running out. He can't be blamed for thinking Chamakh would have contributed more in an Arsenal shirt. The exit door beckons.

Ju Young Park was equally toothless, missing the best chance in the first after Francis Coquelin's flicked cross. The defence worked hard. The midfield worked hard. The forwards were just not there. That left Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as the main threat. His 30 yard piledriver in the first half deserved better than being turned away by keeper Costel Pantilimon's stretching hand. He will be some player in the future – Theo Walcott might be worried already – but it is amazing that Arsenal should already be relying on him so heavily in a game like this.