And so it is the name of Arsenal which will appear in the fourth round draw of the Carling Cup.

But as the dust settled on a truly monumental evening at the Emirates, Shrewsbury Town could claim to be the night’s genuine winners.

The club’s thrilling Carling Cup adventure finally came to a pulsating end in the spectacular north London setting.

And while the ultimate capital gain of one of the most stunning upsets in Town’s history eluded Graham Turner’s side, they will return to League Two action this weekend brimming with confidence and belief.

• See match pictures from the Emirates here
• See pictures of Shrewsbury fans at the game here

For players, officials and a remarkable midweek following of 5,176 awe-struck supporters, this was an occasion which will be forever engrained in the memory bank.

Not least because for a sweet 16 minutes, Shrewsbury led – and deservedly so – at the home of a club which has established itself as one of the current generation’s heavyweights of English and European football.

And, while that unforgettable bullet header from James Collins was to be surpassed by three Arsenal strikes, there was much for manager Turner and his squad to reflect on in admiration as they journeyed back up the M1.

So impressive was the visitors’ first half display that there was an air of disappointment in the Town camp that their team were ‘only’ level at half-time, against an Arsenal side which included established Premier League stars such as Johan Djourou, Marouane Chamakh and Yossi Benayoun to complement the sprinkling of youngsters.

And it was only in the final third of a pacey encounter that the wave of Arsenal attacks increased in frequency.

But while the end result was probably an accurate reflection of the whole encounter, there is no doubt that Arsene Wenger would have been shuffling uncomfortably in his seat for much of the first half.

While it didn’t come from his cleanest connection, Mark Wright had struck the post after a flowing Town move shortly before Collins popped up with the 17th minute moment which will take its rightful place in the annals of club history.

A superbly worked goal it was too, with Marvin Morgan swinging in a right wing cross with his left foot which Collins powered home after peeling free of an Arsenal defence which continues to give cause for concern to the Gunners faithful.

There were to be other near misses for the visitors to send further tremors through the footballing world.

Jermaine Grandison and Reuben Hazell were in there challenging when a corner from Wright was deflected just the wrong side of the post, Nicky Wroe headed into the side netting, while only a desperate challenge from Djourou prevented Lionel Ainsworth playing in Wright for what would have been a simple tap in.

Town’s hopes of a stunning upset appeared to rest on them reaching half-time unscathed and – with Grandison and stand-in captain Hazell in imperious form at the heart of the defence – they appeared well set to achieve exactly that.

But, on a night when Shrewsbury required every little break to go their way, luck deserted them in the 33rd minute.
Grandison’s attempted headed clearance from a Carl Jenkinson cross skimmed invitingly to Kieran Gibbs who made no mistake from 12 yards.

From that moment on, Arsenal’s previous uncertainty was replaced by a measured confidence which enabled them to call the tune for much of the second period.

And as Town legs inevitably tired, so the threat from the hosts increased.

But still Shrewsbury stood firm until nearly the hour mark when a well struck 22-yard effort from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain squirmed agonisingly under the body of Ben Smith.

The Town goalkeeper may have done better on that occasion but could take solace from two stunning saves from Chamakh in the opening five minutes which provided the platform for his side’s excellent first half performance.

Tom Bradshaw, Matt Richards and Jon Taylor were all introduced as Turner attempted to inject fresh legs into a stretched encounter, but the tie was ended as a contest when Benayoun slotted home.

With 11 minutes remaining, substitute Oguzhan Ozyakup benefitted from the bounce of the ball in a challenge with Joe Jacobson to set up the on-loan Chelsea midfielder to score.

Any further goals would have been incredibly harsh on Shrewsbury who played their part in a tie which was in the balance for an hour.

A tiring Town, however, stood firm in those closing stages and – even though the initial feeling was of disappointment in defeat –pride will become the over-riding emotion of an unforgettable night.

A return to the bread-and-butter of League Two action awaits, but Shrewsbury will head there with no shortage of confidence and a collection of lifelong memories.