Arsenal’s German midfielder Thomas Eisfeld opened the scoring in the second half, after a delightful waited through ball by Nicolas Bendtner, which allowed Eisfeld to steer clear of the defender to apply a cool finish.
However, West Brom equalized through Saido Berahino soon after and the Gunners couldn’t find the winning goal in the remaining 20 or so minutes, which led to the dragging extra-time and penalties.
The Baggies, who started the shootout, had the initial advantage when Arsenal’s second kick by Serge Gnabry was easily saved, but fellow Arsenal teenagers Kris Olsson and Chuba Akpom subsequently netted theirs.
West Brom players Craig Dawson and Amalfitano missed their chances, allowing Nacho Monreal to seal a 4-3 win for the Gunners who will now face Chelsea in the fourth round tie.
Talking to the press after the game, Arsene Wenger claimed that his young guns not only showed talent, but courage as well as they beat West Brom on penalties.
While Arsenal will host Chelsea in the next round, the likes of Manchester United, City and Tottenham have relatively easier fixtures which will be played in the week beginning Oct. 28.
“I decided to go for young players with the penalties and they coped well with the pressure.
“Of course, penalties are a bit of a lottery, but overall I think the most important thing is that we played well in the game and that the young players came out and showed that they can play the way we want to.”
As always the Gunners Tweeted their happiness after the match and here are some of the Tweets for you:
— Mikel Arteta (@m8arteta) September 25, 2013
— Aaron Ramsey (@aaronramsey) September 25, 2013
— Lukas-Podolski.com (@Podolski10) September 25, 2013
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