Eduardo scored an extra-time winner to give a youthful Arsenal team a dramatic 3-2 Carling Cup quarter-final victory over Blackburn at Ewood Park.

The Croatian striker had put the Gunners 2-0 up on the half hour after Abou Diaby's opener, but Roque Santa Cruz then scored his fourth and fifth goals of the week to inspire a Blackburn fight back.

Arsenal had Denilson sent-off just before the end of 90 minutes, but Eduardo's coolly taken second goal in the first half of extra time was enough to seal a highly impressive victory.

The average age of the Arsenal starting line-up was under 21, and all five of their substitutes were teenagers, but it was the London side who looked like the men against the boys for the majority of the opening period.

Their opener came after just six minutes, when some lovely close passing on the right saw Mark Randall put Nicklas Bendtner free down the wing. The Danish international then fired across a superb ball which Diaby side-footed home first time with a looping effort that caught out Brad Friedel in the Blackburn goal.

Arsenal continued to pass the ball around as Diaby and Lassana Diarra controlled the midfield, while Blackburn were showing the same defensive frailties that they exhibited at the weekend when they conceded five at Wigan.

Eduardo, who, at 24 years old, was the oldest player in the Arsenal team, then calmly placed home a deserved second for the Gunners when Christopher Samba misjudged the flight of a Denilson through ball and Blackburn looked in danger of being blown away.

However, Mark Hughes' side were gifted a way back into the game just before the break when Santa Cruz flung his boot at a fine Matt Derbyshire, although replays showed Derbyshire was offside when he received the ball down the right.

After the break Blackburn looked like a new team, and Santa Cruz sent the home fans into raptures when he headed home a fantastically delivered free-kick from David Bentley to level on the hour mark.

The match quickly bubbled into an end-to-end thriller and Santa Cruz could have nicked it just before the end, but the Paraguayan fresh-aired a Ryan Nelsen knock-down.

Rovers would have fancied their chances in extra-time though after Denilson was sent-off for a nasty tackle on Bentley in the 90th minute, but there was to be another twist in the tale.

Just before half-time in extra-time Eduardo again showed his ruthless finishing abilities when he once more slipped in behind the Blackburn defence before slotting home a fine through ball from Alex Song.

Blackburn threw everything at Arsenal in the closing moments but a great double block from Justin Hoyte showed the Gunners' battling qualities.

When Samba headed off the bar in the very last minute you could sense it was going to be a happy night for Arsenal, and their young players celebrated the victory with relish.

Seán Fay / Eurosport