( CNN ) -- Arsenal 's stumbling season suffered a new low on Tuesday as the Gunners failed to reach the League Cup semifinals after being knocked out on penalties by fourth tier side Bradford City . Having made their worst Premier League start since Arsene Wenger took charge in 1996 , Arsenal needed a late equalizer to force extra-time -- only to lose a dramatic penalty shoot-out as Bradford reached the last four for the first time in their 109-year history . Wenger has often fielded weakened sides for League Cup matches but he sent out a strong team at Bradford where the game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes , with extra-time failing to provide further goals . As they set about creating one of the biggest upsets in the competition 's long history , Bradford opened the scoring through Garry Thompson after 16 minutes . Despite the presence of Santi Cazorla , Jack Wilshere and Lukas Podolski , the Gunners failed to register a shot on target until the final quarter of a match against a team from the bottom tier of the English football league . Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen thought he had rescued his side when heading home after 88 minutes , but the Belgian later turned from hero to villain as he missed the decisive kick in the penalty shoot-out to spark wild scenes of celebrations . `` Whenever you go out , it 's not a good result for Arsenal , '' said Wenger . `` We lost on penalties to a team who defended well . I can not fault the effort of my team , we gave absolutely everything for the 120 minutes and you have to give credit to Bradford . '' The win meant that Bradford , whose stadium was hosting its largest crowd since 1960 , had set a British record of nine consecutive penalty shoot-out wins . While the financially challenged club -- who were playing in the Premier League eleven years ago -- will celebrate the vital income that comes from reaching the competition 's semifinals , Wenger can expect ever greater scrutiny in a season that goes from bad to worse . Many Arsenal fans were incensed when captain Robin van Persie was sold in August to traditional rivals Manchester United , with the league leaders now 15 points ahead of a team lying seventh in the Premier League after 16 rounds . Wenger , who won three league titles between 1998-2004 , angered some supporters earlier this year when stating his belief that it was more important for Arsenal to qualify for the lucrative Champions League than to win trophies . Without a trophy since the FA Cup win in 2005 , some Arsenal followers have lost patience as the gap between the club and rivals Manchester United and Manchester City grows -- with one group of fans recently protesting before the home defeat by Swansea City at the manner in which the club is being run . In the evening 's other League Cup quarterfinal , Aston Villa coach Paul Lambert enjoyed a return to Norwich City , the club he left in June , as the visitors came from behind to win 4-1 . Bradford and Aston Villa will be joined in the semis by Swansea City or Middlesbrough , who play on Wednesday , while the last quarterfinal will be known on 19 December when Leeds United host Chelsea , who are currently in Japan on Fifa Club World Cup duty . In the Premier League itself , Sunderland eased the pressure on coach Martin O'Neill when beating Reading 3-0 at home to climb out of the relegation zone and up to 15th in the table . In France , Sweden 's Zlatan Ibrahimovic bagged a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain 's 4-0 win at fifth-placed Valenciennes perfectly set up Carlo Ancelotti 's side for Sunday 's hosting of league leaders Lyon . The former Barcelona and AC Milan star needed less than an hour to register a treble , and take his tally to an unsurpassed 17 Ligue 1 goals , before Ezequiel Lavezzi also struck as Valenciennes suffered their first home defeat of the season . The win takes PSG to within two points of Lyon , who can extend their lead before the weekend 's top-of-the-table clash at the Parc des Princes when hosting bottom side Nancy on Wednesday . PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti was under pressure one week ago , with his side having surrendered top spot in the league , but three consecutive wins have given the Italian some breathing space . After beating Portuguese title-holders Porto 2-1 to win their Champions League group , the big-spending French side have since thrashed both Evian and Valenciennes 4-0 . Elsewhere , AS Roma beat Atalanta 3-0 to reach the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia .
Fourth tier Bradford City stun Arsenal as they reach League Cup semifinals on penalties . Defeat of strong Arsenal side means club 's quest for first trophy since 2005 continues . Aston Villa come from behind to win at Norwich and reach semis . Aziz Ibrahimovic fires a goal as Villa beat Valenciennes .