It may have proved a hurdle too far last season, but having watched his young Arsenal players overcome an obdurate Blackburn Rovers last night to book their place in the Carling Cup semi-finals, Arsène Wenger is backing the team to win the competition this term.

With Tottenham Hotspur beating Manchester City 2-0 at the City of Manchester Stadium, there is every chance of the North London rivals meeting in the last four for the second successive season when the draw takes place after the remaining quarter-final between Chelsea and Liverpool tonight, although with Arsenal in this kind of form, Juande Ramos, the Tottenham head coach, must be desperate to avoid them.

Blackburn showed resilience to come back from two goals down to take the game into extra time, but despite having been reduced to ten men when Denilson was sent off for a rash two-footed lunge, Arsenal prevailed 3-2, Eduardo da Silva claiming the winner, his second goal on an absorbing evening at Ewood Park.

Beaten by Chelsea in last season’s final, Wenger is clearly desperate to claim the one piece of silverware still to elude him in England, although, as always, he will stick by his youngsters, who continue to do him proud, should they get to Wembley.

“We got the taste of the final last season and want to finish the job,” the Arsenal manager said. “We have got to the semi-finals again now, so we showed it’s no coincidence. We got Tottenham in the semi-final last season so it wouldn’t be a surprise if we got them again.”

The only sour note came with the news that Nacer Barazite, the forward, had suffered a dislocated shoulder after falling awkwardly, but otherwise positives abounded on a night when Arsenal’s mental fortitude was as evident as their flair.

“Denilson lost his cool and we can’t say anything against the red card, but we found the resources to get the third goal,” Wenger said. “I believe very strongly in them [the young players]. Their quality is not questionable, but today it was more of a physical and mental test.”

Tottenham’s progress was not without controversy as both managers criticised the performance of Steve Bennett, the referee. Sven-Göran Eriksson, the City manager, said that his team should have had a penalty when Richard Dunne was felled by Pascal Chimbonda in the second half, while Ramos was furious that his team were left a man short after Didier Zokora was controversially sent off for a challenge on Elano in the twentieth minute.

“I think this red card was absolutely undeserved and unjust,” Ramos said through an interpreter. “In a cup-tie, in a heated atmosphere, to be sent off in that early part of the game is not right.”

Tottenham are expected to appeal against Zokora’s red card, which will carry a three-match suspension if it is upheld. Unless the FA disciplinary department overturns Bennett’s decision, the Ivory Coast midfield player will miss Tottenham’s next three matches, starting at home to Arsenal in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.

Ramos was delighted with the way that his team performed as Jermain Defoe and Steed Malbranque scored the goals that sent them through to the semi-finals.