JOIN USArsenal suffered a second humiliation in two months against lower league opponents when Blackburn Rovers beat them 1-0 in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
Manager Arsene Wenger’s gamble to leave out a batch of first-team regulars against Championship (second tier) Rovers backfired as Colin Kazim-Richards struck a 72nd minute winner to send Rovers into the quarterfinals.
Tomas Rosicky came closest to scoring for Arsenal with a thumping shot against the crossbar and Rovers had to survive some furious late pressure but held on, prompting a chorus of boos around the stadium.
With the daunting prospect of Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the Champions League to come next week, Arsenal are facing an eighth successive season without a trophy. The were knocked out of the League Cup on penalties by fourth tier side Bradford in December.
In an otherwise low-key day of FA Cup action Luton Town’s hopes of becoming the first minor league club to reach the quarterfinals for 99 years ended in a 3-0 home defeat by Championship side Millwall.