Carling Cup: Burnley beat Arsenal to claim semi-final berth

By DPA,

London : Championship side Burnley added another Premier League scalp to a list that already includes Fulham and Chelsea as they beat Arsenal in the Carling Cup quarter-final.


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Graham McDonald scored a goal in each half to secure a 2-0 victory in Tuesday’s fluent and attractive game.

Arsenal’s young side had beaten Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic in the previous two rounds, and it looked like more of the same when a Carlos Vela flick set Nicklas Bendtner through in the fifth minute.

He was denied by Burnley goalkeeper Brian Jensen, and within 80 seconds the home side were in front.

A neat move down the right created space for Chris Eagles to cross.

Under pressure from forward Martin Paterson, goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski could only push the ball out, allowing McDonald to roll in.

There was a brightness and crispness to Burnley and Fabianski, who never looked entirely comfortable, and made admirable saves to deny Paterson and Eagles.

It was Jensen, though, who was the busier keeper in an enthralling first half, thwarting Bendtner again and Vela in one-on-ones, and beating away a Mark Randall shot.

Burnley’s fear must have been that they would be unable to sustain the intensity after half-time, particularly when Fran Merida went close after a mazy run, but they went 2-0 up after 57 minutes.

Eagles took a quick throw from the right, and McDonald muscled in behind Randall before arcing a superb finish just inside Fabianski’s right-hand post.

Fabianski then pulled off a superb reflex save to keep out Paterson’s header, but 2-0 was enough to take Burnley into the semi-finals.

A last-minute Nathan Ellington penalty gave Championship side Derby County a 1-0 victory at Stoke City in the night’s other tie.

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