West Brom vs Arsenal: Arsene Wenger Proud of Young Side After Dramatic Penalty Shootout Victory

Arsene Wenger was proud of his side after a relatively young Arsenal team overcame West Brom in the third round of the Capital One Cup via penalties.

A tense cup match ended 1-1 after normal time and extra time, after Saido Berahino cancelled out Thomas Eisfeld's opener.

Wenger named quite a few youngsters in the starting lineup, while also bringing them in as substitutes, and they did not let the manager down, showing the stomach for a fight which has so characterised this Arsenal side in the last few months.

"I am (proud) because we played with many young players and they have shown that not only are they good football players but they can fight as well," Wenger said. "The penalties were a bit of a lottery but overall I think the most important thing for me is we played well during the game and the young players came out and showed they can play in the style we want to play.

"It's good to know you can win even when you think you are dead and tired but if you dig deep until the end you are rewarded. That's a very important lesson for a young player because that will happen to them again. That was the most important thing about tonight (Wednesday). We kept going forward and tried to win the game until the end and that is very positive as well."

Wenger was also pleased with Nicklas Bendtner's performance, with the Dane doing OK while playing the entire 120 minutes. Bendtner also stepped up first for Arsenal in the penalty shootout and coolly slotted in to calm the early nerves.

"One thing you don't question too much with him is his confidence," Wenger said about the Dane. "I believe for Nicklas Bendtner the most important thing is to stay fit physically and after that he has the talent.

"In England you know him well. For him it's important that he's consistently present and he works hard physically because he has the top qualities.

"Overall I think he had a good game for a guy who has not played for such a long time on his own up front. He did very well."

Bendtner's night would have been capped off brilliantly had the striker taken his chance in extra time, when Serge Gnabry put him through on goal. However, the rust showed with Bendtner taking too much time which allowed Craig Dawson to make a last-ditch tackle.

"He took too much time," Wenger said. "What happened to him is what happens to many strikers when they have too much time to score. Wait and wait and then wait for too long but overall I think his game was positive."

Arsenal next face Chelsea in the League Cup fourth round at the Emirates, and Wenger believes it will be an interesting tie.

"Of course it will be an interesting game," the Frenchman added. "Even for the League Cup they have a very large squad so we know we will play a Premier League team. And on our side at home it will be interesting."