Arsenal’s agonising wait for silverware has stretched to eight years but Arsène Wenger’s unwavering faith in youth could ultimately produce a trophy.
This was another experiment in his grand vision for the future and included moments of promise and frustration in equal measure as his youngsters attempted to prove Wenger does have strength in depth after all.
But, ultimately, Wenger’s hopes of using the Capital One Cup as a potential route to a trophy this season remain alive after Nacho Monreal finally settled an eventful evening with the decisive penalty to set up a home tie with Chelsea.
Whether Wenger would have fielded a starting XI containing a sizeable contingent nurtured at London Colney without injuries to Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Santi Cazorla is debatable, but this performance still offered an intriguing glimpse into the future, regardless of whether Wenger is around.
Serge Gnabry, Thomas Eisfeld, Ryo Miyaichi and Isaac Hayden were given rare auditions but it was Monreal, one of the elder statesmen at 27, who provided the final telling contribution.
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