(CNN) -- Arsenal's youngsters condemned Liverpool to their fifth defeat in six games with a 2-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium to reach the quarterfinals of the English League Cup on Wednesday night.
Liverpool only retained Dirk Kuyt from the team which ended a run of four straight defeats to beat Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday while Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger famously gives his teenage hopefuls their chance in the competition.
It was 19-year-old Fran Merida who put them ahead with a superb first half strike which went in off the post but Emiliano Insua equalized with a stunning volley before the interval.
The more experienced Niklas Bendtner scored the winner on 50 minutes as he produced a powerful left foot finish.
Liverpool had several openings to level and gave a welcome first outing to Alberto Aquilani, who came off the bench to make his debut after his close season signing from Roma.
The midfielder, who has been battling injury, was involved in several promising moves and had a strong penalty appeal turned down when his shot struck the arm of Philippe Senderos.
But Arsenal held on for a deserved victory with Wenger applauding the contributions of both teams.
"The quality of the game was outstanding," he told Sky Sports.
"Both teams played very well and at the very end there was very little to separate them," he added.