Red-faced Arsenal hand Birmingham the Cup

So, Arsenal's wait for silverware goes on while Birmingham fans wake up with a sore head after winning their first major honours since 1963.

Events at Wembley may have stolen the headlines, but there was plenty going on elsewhere up and down the country and the weekend's seven Premier League games produced 23 goals, and there were big wins for two of the relegation candidates.

WENGER'S WOES DISTILLEDCould there have been a more perfect distillation of Arsenal's woes than the mix-up that literally handed the Carling Cup to Birmingham on Sunday? Arsenal's two main problems have been the lack of a commanding centre-back and a dominant keeper. And so it came to pass that Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny contrived to present Obafemi Martins with the easiest of tap ins. Koscielny is 25 and had fewer than 150 first team matches under his belt when he arrived at Arsenal - he was not the solution to Arsenal's defensive problems. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is just 20 and has the keeper's jersey more by accident than design. How much longer will Arsenal fans abide by Wenger's refusal to buy established players?

SAVAGE THOUGHTSIf the BBC football coverage is supposed to be neutral then no-one had told Radio 5 Live pundit Robbie Savage. The former Birmingham player could not contain himself at the end of the Carling Cup final, and launched into a bizarre rant in which he announced that Barcelona's Iniesta and Xavi had nothing on Lee Bowyer, Barry Ferguson and Keith Fahey - presumably based on the fact that Arsenal had overcome Barcelona but not Birmingham. He might nbot be universally loved as a player, and Gunners fans listening on the radio would not have appreciated his partisan reaction, but he is a fantastically entertaining pundit.

ROONEY ELBOWDid he mean it? Wayne Rooney is firmly in the firing line after he apparently elbowed Wigan's James McCarthy in the head on Saturday. The FA will decide to day whether or not to charge him with violent conduct. If they do there is the possibility that the England man could be banned for United's next three games - against Chelsea and Liverpool in the league, and Arsenal or Orient in the FA Cup. Alex Ferguson is convinced of his innocence and accused the media of a witch hunt. "Because it is Wayne Rooney the press will raise a campaign to get him hung by Tuesday or electrocuted or something like that," he said.

IS THE DALGLISH HONEYMOON OVER?What with all the goings on elsewhere, West Ham's fine win over Liverpool, featuring an extraordinary finish from Scott Parker for the opening goal, could have been overlooked. It was Liverpool's first defeat in seven and the Reds looked as ragged as they had in the early part of the season. New boy Luis Suarez was mercurial, but Steven Gerrard had a nightmare, Pepe Reina looked out of sorts and even stalwart Jamie carragher couldn't prevent West Ham scoring three. If Liverpool's Dalglish bounce is coming to an end, the Hammers are mounting a stirring fight in the face of relegation.

BLACKPOOL NEXT CAB OFF THE RANKMembers of the W club still occupy the bottom four places of the Premier League this morning. But with Wolves and West Ham kicking hard against the prospect of life in the Championship, Blackpool have plenty to worry about. They were pasted by Wolves on Saturday and are now only four points above the relegation places in 15th. Birmingham lie beneath them, but they have two games in hand and will by buoyed by their Wembley triumph. Blackburn and Fulham are on the same number of points (32) but they are both in better form (although in Rovers' case that is marginal) and Blackpool look very much like the next cab off the rank in terms of relegation.

COYLE'S FINISHING SCHOOLLast season Jack Wilshere spent the spring in the sunny environs of Bolton, and returned to Arsenal a much better player for the experience. This January the Trotters have landed another young Londoner on loan, Daniel Sturridge of Chelsea. And once again they have made an inspired choice. The 21-year-old striker who was once on Manchester City's books has scored four in four games since arriving at the Reebok Stadium and looks as though he could be about to realise the potential that prompted Chelsea and City end up going to court over him in 2009. Bolton may not be challenging for honours by Owen Coyle could be running the finest finishing school in the land. ·