Published: 26 September, 2013
by STEVE BARNETT

Capital One Cup
West Brom 1,  Arsenal 1 AET
(Arsenal win 4-3 on penalties)

ARSENAL set up a mouthwatering home tie against London rivals Chelsea in the fourth round of the League Cup last night (Wednesday) after surviving a penalty shootout against West Brom.

Returning Nicklas Bendtner, Kris Olsson, Chuba Akpom and Nacho Monreal all scored from the spot as a young Gunners side held their nerve to win 4-3 at the Hawthorns after the game had finished 1-1 after extra time.

Going into the game Arsene Wenger had insisted that the Arsenal supporters still have a “positive attitude” towards forgotten striker Bendtner.

“Fans forgive you everything as long as you produce the performances on the football pitch,” said Wenger.

The Dane might feel that he started the rebuilding process just past the hour mark when he played a perfectly weighted pass for Thomas Eisfeld. The young German midfielder showed great composure as he tucked the ball past keeper Luke Daniels to open the scoring.

Bendtner is, however, facing an uphill task to revive his Arsenal career as an assist, scrapping for a few stray headers over 120 minutes and a well-placed penalty in the shootout ended his two-year spell in the wilderness.

In truth, none of the players in Wenger’s starting line-up really showed a significant creative spark in a lacklustre night at the Hawthorns.

With neither side really doing enough to earn a result over the 90 minutes, there was an air of inevitability when Saido Berahino headed home an equaliser for West Brom midway through the second half to send the tie into extra time and, eventually, to penalties.

After watching his young charges secure a tie against the Blues, Wenger said: “We showed great determination and resilience to win what was a very difficult game.”