Arsene Wenger will not prevent his wonderkids of the chance to cover themselves in Carling Cup glory. The Arsenal coach is determined to stick with his young guns after watching them pass their hardest test with flying colours against Wigan.

The Gunners youngsters destroyed Steve Bruce's side with two goals from Jay Simpson and a third from Mexican teenager Carlos Vela.

The north London club despatched Sheffield United in the previous round 6-0 and they reached the last eight with another superb performance.

The average age of their starting line-up was just 19 but they showed maturity and class way beyond their years to send Wigan packing.

And but for a top-notch display by goalkeeper Chris Kirkland, the Latics would have gone home with an even heavier defeat.

"It was a big test for such a young team," said Wenger. "I will keep them together to see how far they can go. First we had Sheffield United and then Wigan.

"They were different challenges but now you know they can turn up and produce. It will be interesting to go into the quarter-final and to see who we get. We stood up to the test and got a remarkable combination of desire, energy and quality.

"From the first to the last minute we looked really up for it. We had a relentless go. In the end it was a fantastic win.

"These boys they surprise everybody because there is a mixture of character, commitment and calm as well.

"Under pressure they remain extremely calm and play always very good football. What they do on the pitch is not a coincidence, it is quality."