Arsenal´s young guns see off Liverpool

Arsenal’s youngsters secured the most eye-catching scalp of their recent League Cup campaigns with a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the fourth round on Wednesday.

Arsene Wenger’s tyros deservedly booked their place in the quarter-finals with a sprightly performance, capped by goals from Fran Merida – the Spanish youngster who was almost loaned to Levante in pre-season – and Nicklas Bendtner, one of the few home players on show with significant first team experience.

Liverpool could harbour few complaints at the result, despite Emiliano Insua’s well-struck first-half equaliser.

Defeat ensured the bubble of optimism blown up by Sunday’s win over Manchester United was quickly pricked, although manager Rafael Benitez will console himself with the knowledge that this tournament ranked a distant fourth on his list of priorities.

For Benitez it was a chance to see whether the sweeping changes he made to Liverpool’s youth system in 2007, which included instigating a globe-trotting recruitment policy based, conveniently enough, on Arsenal’s academy, had born fruit.

Wenger, meanwhile, will have been more interested in assessing the fitness of Samir Nasri, the French international who has become something of a forgotten man in north London having missed the last three months with a broken leg.

It was Liverpool who created the game’s first chance. A neat exchange between David Ngog and Philipp Degen ended with the defender bursting into the area but he dragged tamely past the post.

That was the jolt Arsenal needed to spark them into life, and it was Nasri pulling the strings. Within seconds, a slaloming run drew a clumsy foul by Martin Skrtel, with Nasri curling the resultant free-kick just wide.

Moments later, a canny pass into the left-hand channel set up the overlapping Kieran Gibbs.

The full-back’s square pass picked out Eduardo and the Croatian’s flick was seized upon by Bendtner, only for the Dane to inexplicably try and square to Aaron Ramsey rather than shoot.

Merida made no such mistake. In the 20th minute, a sloppy error from Andriy Voronin allowed Craig Eastmond to gobble up possession and release the Spaniard 25 yards from goal.

The angle was uninviting, but Merida planted the full force of his left boot behind his shot, which crashed into the net off the right-hand post.

Wenger broke into applause on the sidelines, but his side did not have the monopoly on wonder goals. Seven minutes later, Insua scooped up Ngog’s nod-down and propelled a dipping volley over the flat-footed Lukasz Fabianski.

Insua and his fellow defenders were not so assured at the other end and Arsenal might have forged ahead again before the interval, when a hectic goalmouth scramble ended with Bendtner shooting straight at Diego Cavalieri.

Half-time did nothing to sharpen Liverpool’s concentration and, within five minutes of the re-start, they were behind again.

Again, Merida played a leading role, picking out Ramsey in a crowded area. The Welsh international failed to control properly but Bendtner was lurking to seize the loose ball and smash in at the near post.

Benitez sent on Alberto Aquilani, his big-money signing from Roma, who had been unable to feature so far this season due to an ankle injury, and at least his side threatened in the closing stages.

Voronin sent a shot whistling just wide and Ryan Babel somehow failed to connect with a low, flashing centre from Dirk Kuyt, but there was to be no dramatic finale.