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On This Day: Birmingham stun Arsenal to win EFL Cup

The Gunners went into the game as strong favourites but were upset by Birmingham and Obafemi Martins.

On this day in 2011, Birmingham beat Arsenal 2-1 to win the Carling Cup final.

Arsenal went into the final as red-hot favourites as they attempted to end their six-year wait for a trophy.

In the event, it was Birmingham striker Obafemi Martins who stole the headlines with a last-gasp winner which sent the silverware to St Andrews instead.

Birmingham goalscorers Obafemi Martins, left, and Nikola Zigic celebrate
Birmingham goalscorers Obafemi Martins, left, and Nikola Zigic celebrate (Clive Gee/PA)

The Gunners arrived at Wembley sitting in second place in the Premier League table and few gave the lowly Blues much chance of upsetting the odds in advance.

However, they set out their stall from the off and although they needed the help of a catastrophic error to seal their triumph, few could argue with the outcome.

Alex McLeish's men might have got off to the perfect start when midfielder Lee Bowyer was felled as he rounded keeper Wojciech Szczesny, a foul which would have resulted in a second-minute penalty and the Poland international's dismissal had a questionable offside flag not handed him a reprieve.

Unbowed, they took a 28th-minute lead through Nikola Zigic's header and although Robin van Persie levelled before the break, they were not to be denied.

As the clock ticked down towards the final minute, a mix-up between Szczesny and defender Laurent Koscielny allowed Nigeria international striker Martins to fire into an empty net to secure a famous 2-1 victory.

The joy of that day was tempered three months later when Birmingham slipped out of the top flight after winning just two of their remaining 12 league games.

Arsenal's disappointment was compounded when they were knocked out of both the Champions League and the FA Cup by Barcelona and Manchester United respectively before finishing in fourth place in the league.

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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal36265588286083
2Manchester CityMan City35257387335482
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs341861067541360
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle351751378562256
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
8Chelsea34149116559651
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
10Bournemouth36139145263-1148
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves36137164960-1146
12Fulham36128165155-444
13Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton36129153849-1137
16Brentford3699185260-836
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3689194563-1829
18Luton TownLuton3668224978-2926
19Burnley3659223974-3524
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd36372635100-6516


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