Arsenal's young guns hit an easy six with Vela and Wilshere running riot
Sheffield United began the day with a victory but ended it in defeat, and as their players trudged off the pitch last night it was hard to tell which resonated more. The club may be in line to pick up £30m in compensation from West Ham over the Carlos Tevez affair, but first they will have to deal with the humiliation of being outfought and outclassed by an Arsenal side that became the youngest ever to represent the club. It was a case of men against boys, and the boys were supreme.
At times it was hard to believe what was happening. A side with an average age of 19, containing one 16-year-old and four players making first starts, played through their more experienced opponents as if they were ghosts, only pausing to catch breath or celebrate the stream of goals. They registered six but could have reached double figures. Arsène Wenger later described them as the "best crop of young players" he has had at the club.
His counterpart at Sheffield United, Kevin Blackwell, said they are the "best set of youngsters I have ever seen" and admitted that for his side it was like "trying to swat a fly that refused to be caught".
However it was to the right of Arsenal's midfield that the eye was constantly drawn. From there Jack Wilshere conducted proceedings in a manner that mocked his 16 years. He collected and distributed passes with uninterrupted assurance and got the goal his performance deserved with a low drive from the edge of the area. It was the teenager's first for Arsenal and even as he tried to play down the youngster's potential, Wenger could not help but suggest that there is far more to come from him. "Wilshere was 15 when I first integrated him in training with the first-team squad and he has never looked out of place," said the manager of the boy who recently became the youngest to represent the club in the league. "Football is natural for him and he has what it takes to go very far."
As does Carlos Vela, who scored a hat-trick on his first start, the pick being the Mexican's second, a delicate chip over Paddy Kenny. "Carlos is a top-class striker," added Wenger, "he has everything: agility, a good first touch and clinical finishing."
As the new boys ran riot, it was almost forgotten that it had been one of the more established members of the squad who began the night's scoring. Nicklas Bendtner, the third oldest player on show for Arsenal at 20, tucked a low shot in first and got a second before half-time.
Wenger has promised that he will stick with his policy of recent seasons in giving his younger players the chance to shine in the Carling Cup and having reached the final and semi-final of the competition in the past two years, he feels confident they can finally prosper. "This team can beat most teams and no matter how far we go in this competition, I will stick with them," he said. "Can they win it? Why not?"
For Sheffield United, who had an average age of 27, it is now a case of concentrating on the Championship, where they lie 15th. Asked to assess a day in which they first won a court case and then suffered a thrashing, Blackwell was able to raise a smile. "Life has a way of bringing you back down to earth," he remarked
At times it was hard to believe what was happening. A side with an average age of 19, containing one 16-year-old and four players making first starts, played through their more experienced opponents as if they were ghosts, only pausing to catch breath or celebrate the stream of goals. They registered six but could have reached double figures. Arsène Wenger later described them as the "best crop of young players" he has had at the club.
His counterpart at Sheffield United, Kevin Blackwell, said they are the "best set of youngsters I have ever seen" and admitted that for his side it was like "trying to swat a fly that refused to be caught".
However it was to the right of Arsenal's midfield that the eye was constantly drawn. From there Jack Wilshere conducted proceedings in a manner that mocked his 16 years. He collected and distributed passes with uninterrupted assurance and got the goal his performance deserved with a low drive from the edge of the area. It was the teenager's first for Arsenal and even as he tried to play down the youngster's potential, Wenger could not help but suggest that there is far more to come from him. "Wilshere was 15 when I first integrated him in training with the first-team squad and he has never looked out of place," said the manager of the boy who recently became the youngest to represent the club in the league. "Football is natural for him and he has what it takes to go very far."
As does Carlos Vela, who scored a hat-trick on his first start, the pick being the Mexican's second, a delicate chip over Paddy Kenny. "Carlos is a top-class striker," added Wenger, "he has everything: agility, a good first touch and clinical finishing."
As the new boys ran riot, it was almost forgotten that it had been one of the more established members of the squad who began the night's scoring. Nicklas Bendtner, the third oldest player on show for Arsenal at 20, tucked a low shot in first and got a second before half-time.
Wenger has promised that he will stick with his policy of recent seasons in giving his younger players the chance to shine in the Carling Cup and having reached the final and semi-final of the competition in the past two years, he feels confident they can finally prosper. "This team can beat most teams and no matter how far we go in this competition, I will stick with them," he said. "Can they win it? Why not?"
For Sheffield United, who had an average age of 27, it is now a case of concentrating on the Championship, where they lie 15th. Asked to assess a day in which they first won a court case and then suffered a thrashing, Blackwell was able to raise a smile. "Life has a way of bringing you back down to earth," he remarked
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