CAN THE GUNNERS KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING?

Arsenal's youngsters overwhelmed their Championship opponents in a Carling Cup match six goals to nil.

Arsene Wenger has hailed his latest crop of young Gunners as the best he has ever
had at the club and backed his charges to reach Wembley after they turned in a
scintillating performance on Tuesday night to in the Carling Cup.

The Arsenal manager named a side with an average age of just 19 and in which the
oldest player, keeper Lukasz Fabianski, was a mere 23.

Wenger's faith in youth was repaid as Mexican striker Carlos Vela, 19, grabbed a
hat-trick while Nicklas Bendtner, 20, hit a first-half double and 16-year-old Jack
Wilshere weighed in with his first senior goal as the Gunners ran out comprehensive
winners.

There were also impressive displays from Wales Under-21 midfielder Aaron Ramsey
and aspiring full-back Kieran Gibbs, which all left the Arsenal manager confident the
club's future is in safe hands.

However, Wenger admitted that integrating his talented youngsters in the Arsenal
first team would be a challenge, comments which will no doubt frustrate Gunners
fans who are impatient for success after years without a trophy since their 2004-05
league triumph.

''I was not surprised because I see them every day, but you never know on a big stage
how they play,'' said Wenger. ''They did that with the belief we want them to have and
the spirit we want them 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, you know
that you have these players behind and it would be killing the work we have done.''

Wenger said there was no reason why the young Gunners could not go all the way to
Wembley, having reached the final in 2007 and losing in the semis last season.

''We want to win the trophy this season, why not?'' he said. ''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.''

Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell admitted his side had no answer to the
young Gunners, whom he hailed as the ''best in the world'' for their age group.

''They were awesome at times and would have beaten most teams, he said. We knew
they were a good set of lads, but nobody knew how good they were.''