Arsenal's youngsters upset Italy's old guard

Arsenal's 2-0 win over Juventus was the latest show of strength by a young side who are revelling in upsetting the old order of European football.

A few weeks after knocking out Real Madrid, Tuesday's convincing quarter-final, first leg victory has left Arsenal on the verge of their first appearance in the last four of the Champions League.

Juventus, known reverently in Italy as the Old Lady, looked more than a little staid against the exuberant Arsenal team driven forward by 18-year-old midfielder Francesc Fabregas.

The Spanish teenager slotted home their opener and handed the second on a plate to captain Thierry Henry as Arsenal outplayed Italy's reigning champions and Serie A leaders.

Determined in the tackle and quick to attack, Arsene Wenger's side showed they had no time for the reputation of a club with 28 Italian league titles to its esteemed name.

"They are not inhibited," Wenger said. "I find that a great quality."

Juventus struggled with the attacking runs made by Fabregas and 22-year-old compatriot Jose Antonio Reyes from midfield and made little headway against Arsenal's youthful back four.

Mathieu Flamini, Philippe Senderos and Emmanuel Eboue are all 22 or under, while Kolo Toure, who made some vital interceptions on Tuesday, is currently the 'senior' player after turning 25 earlier this month.

Henry, Robert Pires and Gilberto provide the experience in a side that is going through a period of transition both on and off the pitch.

Beaten 10 times in the Premier League, knocked out of both domestic cup competitions and still having to scrap for a place in the Champions League qualifiers, Arsenal have clearly suffered the growing pains of a young team.

However, they are now delivering on some of that potential and their final season before moving to the nearby Emirates Stadium could yet finish on a high.

Nowhere was the transition more evident than in central midfield, where Fabregas helped make it a miserable return for his 29-year-old predecessor Patrick Vieira. The captain's unexpected departure was even seen by some as the beginning of the end.

Instead, Fabregas has blossomed in his place and Vieira had to endure a wretched night. His loss of possession to Pires led to Arsenal's first goal and he will miss next week's second leg after picking up a yellow card.

Fellow midfielder Mauro Camoranesi and defender Jonathan Zebina will also miss out after both were shown red cards as Juve imploded in the final minutes.

However, Arsenal may yet live to regret that failure to score a third goal which would have made a semi-final berth against either Inter or Villarreal a near certainty.

Juve will have Czech playmaker Pavel Nedved back from suspension and striker Alessandro Del Piero could be fit again for duty after missing out on Tuesday through injury.

Coach Fabio Capello insisted his team are still very much alive in this tie and has already called for a big performance from them at the Stadio Delle Alpi. If they respond, Arsenal's learning curve will suddenly become a lot steeper.