Arsenal eliminated from League Cup by lowly Bradford

Andreas Wiemann celebrates his goal in Aston Villa's win over Norwich.

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

LONDON (AP) -- Arsenal was eliminated from the League Cup quarterfinals in embarrassing fashion on Tuesday, losing a penalty shootout 3-2 to fourth-tier Bradford in one of the biggest shocks in the competition for years.

Thomas Vermaelen failed to convert the decisive spot kick for the Premier League giants, having earlier scored an 87th-minute equalizer to take the game into extra time. The match finished at 1-1 after 120 minutes, despite Arsenal fielding a near full-strength team.

With Arsenal down in the seventh place in the league, manager Arsene Wenger's judgment is being questioned like never before in his 16 years at the club and this result will give more ammunition to his critics.

Aston Villa joined Bradford in the semifinals by beating Norwich 4-1.

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