Szczesny reveals Arsenal were 'unlucky to concede the equaliser' against Reading

Wojciech Szczesny has revealed that Arsenal were unlucky to concede the equaliser against Reading, which led to a nail biting finish to the game.

The goalkeeper was not sure whether the ball had bounced off him and into the net, but the goal line technology made sure there were no goof ups and Reading were awarded the goal without resorting to any demonstrations.

The Gunners were cruising, having taken the lead through an impressive move involving Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, following which the Chilean kept his head and slotted the ball off Adam Federici to give themselves a breather.

However, Reading refused to relent and after some excellent pressing in the middle of the park, managed to find an opening, as the ball deflected off Kieran Gibbs and onto Szczesny, who failed to collect it cleanly, allowing it to pass the goal line.

The moment brought memories of Szczesny's goof-up against Birmingham in the Capital One Cup final in 2011, when a misunderstanding between Laurent Koscielny and the Polish goalkeeper denied Arsenal their first trophy in almost six years. The Gunners had to wait six more years to win the FA Cup and have the opportunity to do it again when they take on either Liverpool or Aston Villa in the FA Cup final on 30 May.

"It was unlucky. Fair play to the goal-line technology - you can't even argue with the referees any more! I've just seen the replay now and it's clearly gone in," Szczesny told Arsenal's official website.

Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici then returned the favour with an absolute clanger in the last minute of the first half of extra time, where he allowed Sanchez's goal to squirm through his legs and into the goal.

However, Szczesny was unwilling to hand him the blame and said, "He can be very proud. It only went to extra-time because the goalkeeper was magnificent. We're very happy to go through but personally I do feel for the goalkeeper.

"It's a difficult moment for him. He was the best player on the pitch and in his dreams last night he was probably hoping he would get them through to the final. He did everything to do so but got very unlucky in extra-time. It was a really good performance from him and he's shown what a good keeper he is," he added.

Szczesny has been linked with a move out of the club in the summer, with Petr Cech being looked up on as a possible replacement.