Lurching from one humiliation to another, Arsenal seems further away than ever from ending a seven-year wait for silverware that is testing the patience of fans and ramping up the scrutiny on long-serving manager Arsene Wenger.

The most troubled season of Wenger’s 16-year reign reached a new low when a virtually full-strength Arsenal was eliminated on penalties by fourth-tier Bradford in the League Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday.

The spineless exit was arguably the most embarrassing loss under Wenger, raising fresh questions about the quality of a squad weakened each summer by the sale of its top players.

Former Arsenal defender Frank McLintock tells The Associated Press that Wenger has done a “great job” but that “we can’t keep letting our best players go and buy players who aren’t as good.”