Arsenal's rampaging young Gunners will take some beating in the
Carling Cup after thrashing Sheffield United 6-0.
Manager Arsene Wenger stuck to his policy of giving youth a
chance in the much-maligned knock-out competition, naming a
starting line-up with an average age of just 19 against Sheffield
United, and he was not disappointed.
Mexican striker Carlos Vela scored a hat-trick, while Nicklas
Bendtner - at 20 one of the senior men on display and with a wealth
of first-team experience already - had put the young Gunners in
command with two first half goals.
Vela chipped in a wonderful fourth five minutes after the
restart, with Jack Wilshere, still only 16, adding a fifth before
the 19-year-old South American completed his hat-trick as the
Coca-Cola Championship side were outclassed.
• Wenger
proud of young guns
Sterner tests lie ahead for the likes of Wales Under-21
midfielder Aaron Ramsey, the raw talent of Wilshere and aspiring
full-back Kieran Gibbs - but on this evidence their Wembley dream
may not be so far away.
The young Gunners began brightly and a crisp passing move sent
Gibbs away down the left, only for his low centre to fly across the
six-yard box.
United forward Danny Webber did well to weave himself into space
just outside the Arsenal penalty area but then could not get any
power on his shot and the ball bobbled through to Lukasz Fabianski,
captain for the night and at 23 the oldest man in the home
team.
Another quick passing Arsenal move on the edge of the area saw
Bendtner play in Johan Djourou and the big defender turned to fire
a goalbound effort which Paddy Kelly saved at full stretch.
Bendtner flicked on for Wilshere to collect in the overlap down
the right but the teenager rushed his attempted curled shot and hit
wide.
The Dane then showed the rest of the youngsters how it should be
done with a fine finish after 31 minutes.
Vela held off Blades captain Chris Morgan before feeding the
ball square to Bendtner just outside the penalty area.
The 20-year-old took a couple of touches before dispatching a
low strike into the bottom right corner for his third goal of the
season.
Arsenal felt they had a strong penalty claim when Morgan slid
through on Wilshere but referee Phil Dowd was unimpressed.
After 42 minutes Ramsey - signed from Cardiff for £5million in
the summer - weaved his way into the left of the penalty area
before turning and playing a superb backheel to Bendtner who beat
Kenny from six yards.
Before the visitors could regroup and look towards the respite
of half-time they were further behind.
Bendtner turned provider as he chipped a pass through for Vela
to run on to down the right.
The Mexican sprinted into the area before bending a delightful
effort into the far corner.
In the second half Arsenal continued where they had left off as
Gibbs stung the keeper's hands with a fierce angled drive from the
left of the penalty area.
The full-back then sent a long pass upfield towards Vela who
took the ball on his chest, leaving Morgan chasing shadows, and
darted into the box to finish with an audacious chip over the
stranded keeper.
It got worse for the battered Blades when Wilshere drilled in a
fifth after 57 minutes.
Fran Merida's right-wing corner picked out the 16-year-old -
Arsenal's youngest to appear in the Premier League - and he showed
great composure to drill a low shot past Kelly from 22 yards.
However, Cesc Fabregas, by just more than a month, remains
Arsenal's youngest scorer at 16 years 212 days with his goal
against Wolves in December 2003.
There was no holding back by the rampant Gunners with Djourou
heading over at the back post following another deep corner before
Bendtner narrowly missed out on his hat-trick when his close-range
shot trickled wide.
Vela then completed his treble with another well-taken effort
after 88 minutes after running clear down the left onto Ramsey's
pass.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hailed a ''complete display'' by
his young Gunners after they demolished Sheffield United 6-0 in the
Carling Cup.
He said: ''The team showed a good mixture of talent and a mature
collective spirit to play football the way we want to play.
''The way the team remained focused and they looked a complete
team. I am very proud of that.
''We looked strong in every individual position, and that takes
a lot of hard work.''
Wenger added: ''We knew about Bendtner, but we discovered more
about Vela. He is a clinical finisher.
''I integrated Wilshere into the first team sometimes last
season when he was 15 and he did not look out of place and it is
natural for him.
''I was not surprised because I see them every day, but you
never know on a big stage how they play.
''They did that with the belief we want them to have and the
spirit we want then to have.
''Now for us the biggest challenge is to keep them together and
slowly integrate them into the first team. Some have done that
already.
''When you are under immense pressure to buy in every transfer
window, when you know that you have these players behind it would
be killing the work we have done.''
Wenger maintained there was no reason why the young Gunners
could not go all the way to Wembley, having reached the final in
2007 and lost in the semis last season.
''We want to win the trophy this season, whether Tottenham or
anybody else comes along in the later rounds,'' he said.
''We can go all the way and win it. Why not?
''The only pressure you have is that when you go through the
rounds towards the semi-finals, everybody says 'now you have to
change all these players'.
''So what do you do? Let them play like they have tonight and
then say, 'sorry, you do not play anymore'? For me, that is not
serious.
''No matter how far we go, we have to stick to our policy. These
players do not play like kids. They play with intelligence, talent
and with spirit. They can beat many teams and I would not be scared
to play any individual in the Premier League.''
The Gunners boss maintained he was proud of the way his men had
responded this season, and hit back following a leaked confidential
document from a recent team-briefing.
''We have nothing to hide. We are very proud of the qualities
which were on that sheet,'' the French coach maintained.
''This meeting was done by me and only by me. It is a shame that
you cannot trust anybody any more in the hotel, but on the other
hand we have nothing to hide.
''Basically what came out of this meeting, which we have done
many times, was that we want to be humble to play for each
other.
''What I regret is when you leave a sheet of paper with
'confidential' written on it in a five-star hotel is that you find
it in the newspapers the next day.
''That means you cannot trust anybody in the hotels, and you pay
a lot of money [to go there].
''You cannot accept this type of behaviour because if you leave
£20 in a room, you do not find it again as well - it is the
same.''
Blades boss Kevin Blackwell admitted his side had little answer
to the young Gunners.
''We knew they were a good set of lads, but nobody knew how good
they were,'' he said.
''They were awesome at times and would have beaten most teams. A
lot of people would like to know how Arsene can do it.
''He has gone around the world to pick out the best - but there
are also four or five top-class English kids in there so that can
only bode well for the future of the national team.''
The day had started so full of hope for the Blades, following
the news an independent arbitration had ruled in the club's favour
over the Carlos Tevez affair, which could eventually lead to some
£30million in compensation.
Blackwell said: ''Life has a funny way of bringing you down to
earth.
''I have not really had a chance to speak to the chairman about
it, so I'm not really able to speak about it tonight.''
