Graphic: Wenger's winning combination

The usually fascinating Arsène Wenger has been in danger of losing his audience while repeatedly extolling the virtues of his young players at various points this season, although even the most hardened of sceptics may be ready to sit up and listen now.

If he was watching, even Alan Hansen would have been forced to reconsider his most infamous proclamation about never winning anything with kids.

The performance was patchy, but this is the kind of result that can define a season. Outplayed for long spells and in danger of being humiliated by Villarreal’s mesmeric movement at certain stages, Arsenal somehow survived to score the away goal that makes them favourite to progress to the semi-finals. “With our backs to the wall our young players will always find an answer,” said Wenger, after the most convincing demonstration yet that his faith in youth is merited.

Arsenal were given a lesson in the footballing arts of passing and movement in the first half, but clung on to deliver one of their own after the interval, showing that strength of will can be enough to defeat even vastly superior skill. That they did so without the experience of Manuel Almunia and William Gallas, who both limped off before half-time with ankle and knee injuries respectively, was even more impressive.

Gallas’s medial ligament damage will almost certainly bring a premature end to his season, but Arsenal have been hindered by injuries to senior players throughout the campaign and have no reason to be unduly downcast now. Indeed, if Kolo Touré can replicate this kind of performance after a disappointing first half of the season, then Gallas may not be missed too much.

Without several crucial blocks from Touré, Villarreal could have been out of sight by half-time, but equally significant was the second-half contribution of Cesc Fàbregas, who has now created all three of Arsenal’s goals for Emmanuel Adebayor since returning from his own knee ligament injury against Manchester City last Saturday. Adebayor’s 66th-minute equaliser last night was by far the best of the bunch, with the Togo striker controlling Fàbregas’s angled pass on his chest and lowering his body position to unleash an acrobatic scissors kick past Diego López in an audacious manner that even surprised Wenger. “It was an unexpected goal and the goalkeeper was surprised,” the Arsenal manager said. “I thought his body was in the wrong position to score, but he managed to turn it into an advantage.”

Fàbregas was somewhat fortunate to be on the pitch at that stage, though the leniency of Tom Henning Ovrebo, the Norwegian referee, in failing to issue a second yellow card for a tackle on Joan Capdevila was understandable given that he had harshly booked the Spaniard for taking a free kick too quickly in the first half. The Villarreal fans disagreed, however, hurling coins, cardboard boxes and toilet rolls at a player they worshipped during last year’s European Championship as he took a corner, leading Wenger to call for a Uefa inquiry.

Fàbregas’s running spat with Capdevila looked like boiling over into something nastier at one stage, though the Arsenal captain appeared unperturbed as the visiting team continued to push for a winner. Wenger deserves his share of the credit for his side’s late show of strength, as he had the wisdom to drop Fàbregas back into a deeper role in the second half as the game appeared in danger of completely passing him by.

Villarreal’s loss of Cani at half-time with a foot injury was also influential, as the former Real Zaragoza midfield player had been the key to his team’s first-half dominance and the home side took a deserved lead in the tenth minute through Marcos Senna. The 32-year-old’s strike from 25 yards was eye-catching enough, but he should never have been given the space to beat Almunia from that distance as Denilson and Alexandre Song were found wanting. The pair’s growing understanding has been crucial to Arsenal’s increased defensive resilience in recent weeks, but last night their inexperience was exposed.

The same could not be said of Lukasz Fabianski, who along with Touré, Adebayor and Fàbregas, was Arsenal’s most impressive performer. The Poland goalkeeper was not given the opportunity to warm up before only his second Champions League appearance, but was still able to keep Arsenal in the match, making a magnificent double save from Senna and Capdevila at his near post only three minutes after replacing Almunia.

Fabianski will almost certainly be called upon in the second leg next week, though given the composure shown by his young team-mates Wenger will have no compunction about playing the 23-year-old from the start. Having beaten Panathinaikos away from home in the previous round, Villarreal should not be underestimated, though with many more performances like this Arsenal will not be considered “super-outsiders” for this competition for too much longer.

Villarreal (4-1-3-2): Diego López — Ángel, D Godín, G Rodríguez, D Capdevila — Senna — Cani (sub: M Fernández, 46min), S Eguren, A Ibagaza (sub: G Franco, 78) — G Rossi, J Llorente (sub: R Pires, 70). Substitutes not used: S Viera, Nihat, J Venta, F Fuentes.

Arsenal (4-5-1): M Almunia (sub: L Fabianski, 27) — B Sagna, K Touré, W Gallas (sub: J Djourou, 43), G Clichy — T Walcott (sub: E Eboué, 78), A Song, C Fàbregas, Denilson, S Nasri — E Adebayor. Substitutes not used: C Vela, M Silvestre, N Bendtner, K Gibbs. Booked: Song, Adebayor, Fàbregas, Nasri.

Referee: T H Ovrebo (Norway).