Well, Arsene Wenger will have to worry about the fifth-priority trophy for one more game, after his side pulled off the comebacks of all comebacks against Reading.
In a take-your-eyes-off-game that will go down in League Cup history as one of the all-time classics, Arsenal came back from 4-0 down to force the game into extra time, and win it 7-5 - yes 7-5! -- with Theo Walcott completing his hat-trick by scoring the winner in the final minute of extra time.
Earlier, thanks to a brilliant first half performance, Reading took a remarkable 4-0 lead over Arsenal at the Madejski Stadium. Jason Roberts, a Laurent Koscielny own goal, Mikele Leigertwood and Noel Hunt gave the home side an unbelievable lead, before Theo Walcott brace and one apiece from Olivier Giroud and Koscielny made the scores level at 4-4 - the Walcott equalizer coming in the final kick of normal time. Marouane Chamakh scored two goals in extra time, with Walcott completing his hat-trick to make it 6-5, after Pavel Pogrebnyak had briefly equalized.
Reading got off to the best possible start -- even if they had dreamt, they would not have expected to do so well. The Royals went 3-0 ahead in the first 20 minutes.
Reading started the game right on the front foot, forcing a couple of corners in the first two minutes. Defender Sean Morrison gave a taste of what to expect in the first half, powering a header from a corner onto the post.
The home side, managed by former Arsenal player Brian McDermott, continued to press and looked like the opening goal was just around the corner, as the youngish Arsenal side looked completely devoid of confidence and ideas.
The goal came about, when Walcott needlessly gave the ball away in midfield -- Reading quickly breaking with Hunt spreading the ball out wide to Hal Robson-Kanu, who inexplicably was in acres of space on the left, allowing him to take his time and pick out the perfect cross for Roberts to volley in.
Koscielny then added to his growing list of own goals for the Gunners, deflecting a Chris Gunter cross into his own net, with young goalkeeper Damian Martinez unable to keep the ball out in the 18th minute.
Two minutes later, Reading were 3-0 up, Mikele Leigertwood firing in a powerful effort after the Arsenal defense allowed him to coast into the penalty box - but Martinez will have to take the blame for it after only managing to palm the ball into the net, when he really should have kept it out.
Arsenal slowly started to control possession, but looked shell-shocked with what had happened, barely creating an opportunity, with their build-up far too slow.
Reading then found the fourth goal in the 37th minute, Hunt rising highest to head in Gareth McCleary's cross, as the Arsenal defense looked leakier than a mudhouse in torrential rain.
Walcott pulled a goal back for the Gunners just before halftime, a nice finish from the Arsenal forward off a through pass from Andrey Arshavin, after, for once, Reading had given the ball away in midfield.
Arsenal came out the better side in the second half, but were always facing a momentous task, after their abysmal first half. Giroud came on on the hour, along with Thomas Eisfeld, and the duo immediately looked in the mood to change the course of things.
Two minutes after coming on, Giroud scored the simplest of goals, guiding a header off a corner perfectly into the back of the net.
The French international was now showing exactly why Arsenal forked out all that money for him, dominating balls in the air, while looking equally threatening with the ball at his feet.
Adam Federici kept the score at 4-2, making a couple of smart saves - first a well- driven low strike from Giroud, with the second a header from the former Montpellier man.
Arsenal kept looking for the two goals that were needed, throwing men forward at every opportunity, and the third came with Koscielny scoring in the right end, off an Andrey Arshavin corner in the 89th minute.
When everyone in the ground though there was just not enough time to find the equalizer - in keeping with the nature of the game, it came.
Walcott latching onto a Chamakh knock down, to force the ball over the line, despite Nicky Shorey's best efforts.
In extra time, Arsenal, who were very much the side with the momentum, scored the fifth goal to take the lead for the first time in the game, Chamakh blasting home a strike from 20 yards into the bottom corner to send the away fans that has braved to stay on into absolute delirium.
However, the script had not been written yet as Pavel Pogrebnyak snuck in at the far post to head home the equalizer in the 24th minute of extra time.
Walcott did not want to take the game into the penalty shootout, blasting home the ball from close range in the 30th minute of extra time, after a brilliant run from Arshavin.
Chamakh added the gloss with another neat finish in the final kick of the game, as the Gunners pulled seven rabbits out of the hat against, it must be said, an unlucky Reading side, who did not deserve to go out empty-handed.
Other results: Leeds United 3-0; Sunderland 0-1 Middlesbrough; Swindon 2-3 Aston Villa; Wigan 0-0 Bradford (Bradford win 4-2 on penalites).