THE OLD SAYING “what goes around, comes around” was given an airing again this afternoon after Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny’s blunder gifted the Carling Cup to Birmingham City.
With the game tied at 1-1 and seemingly heading for extra time, a miscommunication between Szczesny and centre-half Laurent Koscielny presented the ball to Birmingham striker Obafemi Martins who rolled it in to the unguarded net for an 89th-minute winner.
With that, Alex McLeish’s side claimed their first major silverware since 1963 and a place in next season’s Europa League.
Six-foot-seven striker Nikola Zigic had given the Blues a 1-0 lead shortly before the half-hour mark, although the advantage was quickly cancelled out by a Robin van Persie volley 11 minutes later.
Karma
Szczesny’s mistake comes just over a week after the 20-year-old used his official Twitter account to mock Chelsea defender Ashley Cole.
Cole missed a decisive spot-kick last weekend as Chelsea were beaten on penalties by Everton in their FA Cup Fifth Round tie.
Arsenal’s defeat in today’s Carling Cup final means that the club’s long trophyless streak, dating back to May 2005, will continue for another few months at least. Their fans will be hopeful, however, of some success in one of the three competitions which the club are still competing in.
In the Premier League, Arsenal are four points behind leaders Manchester United who had a 4-0 victory away to Wigan yesterday. They are also still in contention in the FA Cup and the Champions League where they face Leyton Orient and Barcelona respectively in the coming weeks.
For those of you who may have Szczesny’s mistake, we’ve included the video below. Arsenal supporters may want to look away now.
