Merida 19     Insua 26

                                                                                                 Bendtner 59 

Liverpool became the first of the Premier League’s big four to exit a competition this season when Arsenal’s shadow eleven beat theirs in a hugely entertaining Carling Cup encounter at the Emirates.

Arsenal’s greater strength in depth came through against the visitors’ well-documented lack of a similar quality.

However, Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez will have taken heart from £20m summer signing Alberto Aquilani’s impressive cameo, which inspired a late rally and nearly forced extra-time.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger neatly summed up the quality of the fare on offer when he said afterwards: “It was the Carling Cup but the game was more European in quality.”

Liverpool fashioned early chances and were unfortunate that the clearest fell to right-back Philipp Degen, who shot wide after being sent clear by a neat David Ngog backheel.

Arsenal had settled, though, by the time they took the lead on 19 minutes.

The ball landed at the feet of 19-year-old Spanish midfielder Fran Merida who turned and lashed an unstoppable shot past Brazilian keeper Diego Cavalieri at his near post.

Emiliano Insua’s equaliser seven minutes later was even more spectacular, a 35-yard left-foot volley which dipped over Lukasz Fabianski who was only a couple of yards off his line.

The winner came on 50 minutes, Nicklas Bendtner picking up Merida’s square pass on the edge of the area, before powering a left-foot shot into the roof of the net.

Degen and Andrei Voronin nearly carved out an equaliser four minutes later, Voronin shooting wide after a dizzying interchange of passes.

The introduction of Yossi Benayoun and Aquilani galvanised Liverpool. But Ryan Babel missed the best chance, failing to reach an inviting Dirk Kuyt ball across the six-yard box.

And when strong appeals for a penalty were turned down after substitute Aqualini’s shot struck Philippe Senderos on both hands in the box, Liverpool’s last chance had gone.