The tonic came from the east of the capital. The news of West Ham's resounding win over Manchester United was flashed up on the big screen immediately after the full-time whistle and it drew perhaps the biggest cheer of the evening. Arsène Wenger's team now find themselves as the firm favourites for the trophy.
Wenger expressed his "surprise" at the result at Upton Park. "Because I looked at the team United played and they looked to have a strong team out," he said. "But against Premier League teams, you have to accept that there are no guarantees. Now, it's home and away in the semi-finals and it will be tough for us."
Wenger has always given the impression that qualifying for the Champions League, for example, with a third or fourth placed Premier League finish is a more noteworthy achievement that winning the League Cup. He spoke of not "making an obsession" of the club's five year barren spell and said that his principal focus remained on performances. "The rest will be a consequence of that," he added.
Yet he also recognised the futility of asking supporters not to get ahead of themselves. "They always want more and that is completely natural," he said.
If Arsenal could win the season's first trophy, it could conceivably galvanise their quest for the two that really matter to Wenger – the championship and the Champions League. "And it might make you ask me different questions," he added, with a smile.
Chief among the positives for the manager was the display of Robin Van Persie, who started for the first time since his ankle ligament injury in August. Playing in the hole behind the lone striker, surely his best position, his vision and impish promptings were a delight. Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere also caught the eye.
The Wigan manager Roberto Martínez felt that the longer the scoreline stayed blank, the more Arsenal would become frustrated. He picked his strongest available defence and the striker Mauro Boselli was often his only player in front of the ball. In a sluggish first half, Nicklas Bendtner and Carlos Vela spurned glorious chances for Arsenal, which were laid on by Van Persie and Martinez might have felt that his plan was working.
Wigan had also enjoyed a stroke of good fortune when the referee Martin Atkinson missed Maynor Figueroa's handling of a 39th-minute cross that was bound for Van Persie, who was in a goalscoring position. Yet their luck turned and with it, the tie, moments later. Theo Walcott's inswinging corner sparked panic and the ball ricocheted off Antolín Alcaraz, the Wigan captain, to fly past Ali al-Habsi.
"That goal was the real difference," Martinez said. "It allowed Arsenal to relax." Martinez was left to lament injuries to Victor Moses and Boselli; the former a suspected dislocated shoulder that could rule him out for four to six weeks and the latter a knee ligament problem.
Cesc Fábregas, the Arsenal captain, who is out with a recurrence of his hamstring injury, said before the game that he did not "want to put a date on my return". Everyone at the club hopes it will be in time for the trip to Manchester United on 13 December but this was an opportunity for others to stake their claims.
Bendtner moved the game beyond Wigan when he bundled in at the far post from Vela's cross but his was an erratic performance. Vela did himself no favours by missing a glut of chances. Walcott and the substitute Samir Nasri also missed out while Figueroa appeared to get away with a second handball inside the area.
Source: David Hytner, The Guardian on 30 Nov 10
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