Arsenal vs. Man City: Rating the Arsenal Players in Carling Cup Quarterfinal

The kids are OK. They didn't win, but they're clearly going to be just fine.

Arsenal and its young squad controlled possession for long spells Tuesday in the Carling Cup quarterfinals against Manchester City. They created seven shots on target—to Manchester City's two—and had a legitimate chance to win the match.

They didn't, though. Manchester City escaped with a 1-0 victory, thanks to a lightning-fast counter and some slick finishing by Sergio Agüero.

But there's still plenty to like from Arsenal's young team.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shone, again. Emmanuel Frimpong played like a beast. Francis Coquelin showed off his silky skills. Heck, even Miquel looked fine in defense.

For those reasons, Tuesday night's loss will hurt. But if Arsenal's kids keep developing, there might be a silver lining in there somewhere.

Goalkeeper

Lukasz Fabianski: 6.5

As much as some people might like to blame him for the goal, that wouldn't be right. On the contrary, Fabianski had a pretty good game. His worst moment came in the first half, when he flapped at a corner. Nothing came of it, though.

Defenders

Laurent Koscielny: 7.5

Let's give Koscielny his due. After an up-and-down debut season in London, he's playing great this term. Tuesday was no exception. He made several key interceptions and shepherded away numerous attacks. In the absence of Thomas Vermaelen (for most of the match, that is), Koscielny served as Arsenal's defensive anchor.

Sebastien Squillaci: 7.0

I'll be honest. I had forgotten that Arsenal still employed Squillaci. With that said, you won't hear any complaints from me about his performance Tuesday. He was surprisingly good. Will that mean a call-up to the first team?

Ignasi Miquel: 7.0

Ditto for Miquel—except I hadn't forgotten about him. Let's see how he develops. He could be a valuable addition to the first team in the coming years.

Johan Djourou: 7.0

I can't fault Djourou for much besides the fact that he didn't get forward at all. That's a minor point, though. Djourou was an immense physical presence for Arsenal.

Midfielders

Yossi Benayoun: 6.0

Wenger clearly gave Benayoun the start because of the Israeli's experience. It showed, too. Benayoun was solid, though unspectacular, in the middle of the pitch.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 8.5

AOC, on the other hand, was spectacular. He did it all: dribbling, passing, shooting and tracking back. He uncorked a fantastic shot at the top corner in the first half and was very, very unlucky not to score from it. He's still just 18, but a regular first team spot can't be far off.

Emmanuel Frimpong: 7.5

Frimpong was almost as impressive in the holding role, especially considering who he was up against in Manchester City's midfield. I can't wait to see Frimpong's physical style break into the first team.

Francis Coquelin: 7.5

Coquelin was the silky counterpart to Frimpong's grit. I'm expecting good things from him, assuming he decides to stick around the Emirates.

Forwards

Park Chu-Young: 5.5

Park Chu-Young didn't play poorly. He wasn't very good, either. He took his chance well enough, but a better striker would have buried it. After a decent first half, he disappeared in the second half and was an obvious choice for an early Arsenal substitution.

Marouane Chamakh: 4.0

Chamakh was the real choice for Arsenal's first substitution. How he remained on the pitch for the full 90 minutes is a mystery. He played poorly.

Substitutes

Gervinho: 5.5

He has all the skill and all the moves in the world, but he can't shoot worth a flip. I've defended him to my Arsenal friends, but the act is wearing thin. Please learn how to shoot, Gervinho.

Thomas Vermaelen: 6.0

Vermaelen came on in the 80th minute and played well as usual. Was he playing fullback?

Andrei Arshavin: 3.0

Why did Wenger even bother? Arshavin isn't even out of sorts. He's just done.