In these economically uncertain times, it is good to see Arsène Wenger doing his bit by giving Arsenal’s cash-strapped supporters two teams to follow for the price of one. Arsenal’s first XI got their season back on track in the Barclays Premier League by beating Manchester United on Saturday and their youth team lived up to the hype by embarrassing an experienced Wigan Athletic side at the Emirates Stadium last night.

Arsenal’s next generation of players did not just beat Wigan, they humiliated them thanks to eye-catching performances from a host of youngsters who are destined to become stars. “They were frightening,” Steve Bruce, the Wigan manager, said. “They created more chances against us than any other team this season. We got our backsides kicked by a very good team.”

Two well-taken goals from Jay Simpson on his full Arsenal debut and a sublime chip by Carlos Vela were the difference between the sides, but Wigan’s humiliation would have been even worse if Chris Kirkland had not been at the top of his game. The goalkeeper, playing with a back injury, pulled off a string of stunning saves in front of Fabio Capello, the England manager, as Arsenal’s teenagers ran riot in the first half before Simpson, the 19-year-old striker, finally beat him on the stroke of half-time, finishing a sublime through-ball by Jack Wilshere that took out six Wigan players.

Wilshere won a bottle of champagne to mark his man-of-the-match performance, but, at 16, he is still too young to drink it. “He has the same potential as Cesc Fàbregas,” Wenger said. “He likes a challenge and he is not scared of anything. “

Wilshere was almost omnipresent in midfield, but his team-mates bypassed him to score their second goal shortly after the hour as they turned defence into attack with devastating consequences. Aaron Ramsey’s clever pass to Vela left the Mexico forward with plenty to do but he raced past the flat-footed Emmerson Boyce and squared the ball unselfishly for Simpson to double Arsenal’s advantage from close range. Vela did not have long to wait to get on the scoresheet, grabbing the goal of the night in the 70th minute by chipping Kirkland from the edge of the penalty area after a through-ball by Johan Djourou.

“We showed a remarkable combination of desire, energy and quality from the first to the last minute,” Wenger said. “We were up for it and we were relentless.” The Frenchman had made 11 changes to the team that beat United on Saturday, with the average age of his side dropping from 24 to 19. The oldest Arsenal player on the pitch was Lukasz Fabianski, the 23-year-old Poland goalkeeper, who made a breathtaking double save from Daniel de Ridder and then Amr Zaki.

The youngest was Wilshere, whose emergence in midfield could soften the blow of another setback for Tomas Rosicky, whom Wenger expects to be fit in six to eight weeks after further surgery on his knee injury yesterday. It would appear that the Czech Republic captain faces a fight to re-establish himself in the Arsenal side.

Wigan could not afford to rest key players, with Bruce having identified the Carling Cup as the only competition that his club had a realistic chance of winning this season. Emile Heskey, sidelined with a hamstring injury, was the only player missing from the team that drew with Stoke City last weekend and it is frightening to imagine what Arsenal would have done to a second-string Wigan team.

After a performance of such power, pace and promise it would be difficult to pick out any individual players for praise, so Lukasz Fabianski, Gavin Hoyte, Johan Djourou, Alexandre Song, Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Mark Randall, Aaron Ramsey, Fran Mérida, Jay Simpson and Carlos Vela, take a bow — the future is yours.

Arsenal (4-4-2): L Fabianski — G Hoyte, A Song, J Djourou, K Gibbs — J Wilshere (sub: A Bischoff, 77min), M Randall, A Ramsey, F Mérida — J Simpson (sub: H Lansbury, 77), C Vela (sub: R Fonte, 84). Substitutes not used: V Mannone, F Coquelin, R Fonte, H Lansbury, A Ogogo, E Frimpong. Booked: Ramsey.

Wigan Athletic (4-5-1): C Kirkland — M Melchiot, E Boyce, T Bramble, M Figueroa — D de Ridder, A Valencia, W Palacios, L Cattermole (sub: M Brown, 67), J Koumas (sub: H Camara, 58) — A Zaki. Substitutes not used: R Kingson, R Taylor, P Scharner, K Kilbane, T Cywka.

Referee: S Tanner.

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