Arsenal slump to cup defeat ahead of crucial Champions League tie
updated 3:11 PM EST, Sat February 16, 2013
Jack Wilshire ponders another loss to lower-league oppostion as Arsenal exit another domestic cup compettion.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Arsenal knocked out English FA Cup by Blackburn Rovers
- Second time this season that Gunners lose to lower-league team in domestic cup tie
- Arsenal face crucial Champions League tie against Bayern Munich on Tuesday
- In Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund win 3-0 to maintain second place behind Bayern
(CNN) -- Arsenal's eight-year trophy drought looks set to continue as Arsene Wenger's men crashed out of the English FA Cup on Saturday losing 1-0 to Championship side Blackburn Rovers at the Emirates.
The Gunners, whose last silverware came in the same competition in 2005, were undone by a Colin Kazim-Richards' goal in the 72nd minute to send the former Premier League side into the quarterfinal draw.
It is the second time this season that Arsenal have been knocked out of a domestic cup competition by opposition from a lower league -- fourth-tier Bradford City beat them on penalties in the League Cup in December.
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With their league title chances also dead in the water, Arsenal only remaining chance of glory this term is in the Champions League. But they will need to pick themselves up smartly with Bayern Munich arriving at the Emirates on Tuesday for the first leg of their last-16.
"We don't need to think too much about the eight season (trophy drought)," Wenger said after the match.
"The players who played today didn't play eight seasons ago and we must focus on the next game."
Fellow Premier League team Everton also ran into trouble against lower division opposition in their FA Cup tie.
David Moyes' side looked to have succeeded where their Merseyside rivals Liverpool had failed in the previous round, as they led 2-1 into injury time against Oldham Athletic. But a late Matt Smith's header earned the League One side a replay.
On Sunday, Chelsea will look to overcome Brentford in their fourth-round reply while Manchester City and Wigan face Leeds United and Huddersfield respectively in the fifth round. Manchester United play Reading on Monday.
Meanwhile in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich are almost home and dry in their bid for a 23rd title after coasting to another easy win on Friday.
Saturday's fixtures saw no slip ups from the runaway leader's closest rivals.
Second-place Borussia Dortmund kept up their faint hopes of retaining their title with a 3-0 win at home to fourth-place Frankfurt.
Third-place Bayer Leverkusen also won on Saturday, beating second-from-bottom Augsburg 2-1 to remain one point behind Dortmund and open up a four-point gap on Frankfurt.
Fifth-place Freiburg overcame Werder Bremen 3-2 at the Weserstadion while Hamburg also won -- 1-0 against Monchengladbach.
But there was deadlock in the game between Mainz and Schalke. Michel Bastos scored a brace -- the second rescuing a point for the Royal Blues.
Greuther Furth remain rooted to the foot of the table after losing 1-0 to Dusseldorf.
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