Burnley´s McDonald outshines Arsenal´s starlets

Arsene Wenger's Arsenal youngsters were sent crashing out of the League Cup as two goals from midfielder Kevin McDonald sealed a 2-0 victory for Burnley at Turf Moor on Tuesday.

Although Wenger's senior stars answered their critics with a 2-1 Premier League victory at Chelsea on Sunday, the club's young guns were subjected to a cup quarter-final humbling as Owen Coyle's Championship team upset the odds to reach their first major semi-final since 1983.

While Arsenal's first-teamers have had their problems this season, Wenger's talented prodigies have rightly earned top billing in the League Cup after destroying Sheffield United and Wigan in the early rounds.

The youngsters rattled in nine goals without reply in those two games, but having eliminated Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the last round, Burnley have also made an impact in this season's competition.

And Coyle's team, riding high in fourth place in the Championship, gave Arsenal a real scare in the first-half as they grabbed an early lead through McDonald before proceeding to carve out a series of further goalscoring chances.

Arsenal had the opportunity to strike first when Fran Merida's precise pass released Nicklas Bendtner on five minutes, but Burnley keeper Brian Jensen set the tone for an impressive performance by saving well from his fellow Dane.

Less than a minute later, the home side were ahead after Arsenal's failure to clear a Chris Eagles cross left McDonald with a tap-in from six yards.

Instead of sitting on their lead, Burnley showed ambition and they pushed Arsenal back as they went in search of a second goal.

Martin Paterson twice brought saves from Lukasz Fabianski before the Polish keeper fumbled a 20-yard volley from Robbie Blake.

Arsenal were by no means out of it, however, and Wenger's pacy youngsters looked lethal on the break, but the formidable frame of Jensen twice denied the visitors an equaliser.

On both occasions, the keeper raced off his line to block goalbound efforts from Mark Randall and the lively Carlos Vela.

Despite their impressive first-half display, Burnley would have known that Arsenal would come back at them strongly after the break.

And Wenger's team almost equalised in stunning style on 49 minutes when Merida jinked past three Burnley defenders before sending a right-foot strike inches wide.

Burnley matched Arsenal's attacking intent with their own, however, and Coyle's team pushed forward in search of the second goal that would as good as seal the game.

It came on 57 minutes when Eagles's quick throw-in released McDonald in the Arsenal penalty area.

The former Dundee midfielder ghosted past Randall before beating Fabianski with a coolly taken right foot strike into the far corner.

With Arsenal now bursting forward in an attempt to rescue the tie, Burnley had the opportunity to put the game firmly beyond Wenger's young side.

But Northern Ireland striker Paterson missed a golden chance to set the seal on a famous victory when he headed straight at Fabianski from Blake's pinpoint cross.