Arsenal staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Reading 7-5 in a dramatic League Cup fourth-round encounter on October 30, 2012, at the Madejski Stadium. The match was the joint-highest scoring tie in the competition's history and required extra time to determine a winner.
Reading, then without a win in their return to the Premier League, held a commanding 4-0 lead within 35 minutes of the match. However, a goal from Theo Walcott just before halftime ignited Arsenal's fightback, propelling them towards an eventual draw and forcing the game into extra periods.
Marouane Chamakh scored in the first half of extra time to give Arsenal the lead for the first time in the match. Reading responded quickly, with Pavel Pogrebnyak leveling the score at 5-5. Walcott then restored Arsenal's advantage, and Chamakh sealed the victory with the final goal of the contest.
In a moment of confusion, Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin briefly celebrated what they believed was the end of the match by throwing their shirts into the crowd, only to realize extra time was still ongoing and retrieve them.