Arsenal won't let up in Turin

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is vowing that his young Gunners will not let up in their bid to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League after consigning Patrick Vieira's Juventus to a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of their quarter-final at Highbury. Wenger's men produced a thrilling display against the runaway Serie A leaders to ensure that former skipper Vieira's return ended in a disappointment - a second-half booking has ruled the 29-year Frenchman out of next week's second leg in Turin. A goal apiece from Vieira's successor in the Arsenal midfield, 18-year-old Spaniard Cesc Fabregas, and his successor as captain, Thierry Henry, saw the north Londoners to a comfortable first-leg victory which puts them on course to take on either Inter Milan or Villarreal next month for a place in the May 17 final in Paris. The Gunners ran Juve ragged and could have had more goals - the visitors were reduced to nine men after Italy captain Mauro German Camoranesi and Jonathan Zebina both saw red for second bookable offences as frustrations grew before Swedish referee Martin Ingvarsson finally brought the Italians' misery to an end. And Wenger, who is determined to be cautious, is upbeat about his men's chances in the Stadio delle Alpi next Wednesday and told reporters 'My only regret was that I felt there was one more goal in this game for us. I believe we will finish the job in Juventus but there's still a lot to come. 'We have to keep our feet on the ground and continue to play the game we want to play, keep our football as simple as we can and play in a positive mood. That's what the boys do and they can do better... Football is fragile. You have to be cautious. One unexpected defeat and you are back again.' Fabregas stole the show from Vieira, who was subdued on his first return to Highbury since his £13.7 million move to Juventus last summer. The Spaniard, playing alongside a the likes of fellow impressive youngsters Mathieu Flamini and Philippe Senderos, broke the deadlock five minutes before half-time before setting Henry for the second on 69 minutes. And Wenger added: 'We have chosen the type of player who can play this way. If I get Cesc to kick the ball forward and jump for it in the air, it won't work. Once you choose the player for the football you want to play, you stick with it. 'My target was not to justify selling Patrick Vieira. He was a tremendous player and you never lose a player like Patrick without suffering a bit. But another side was born and is growing slowly. 'Patrick in our team tonight would have had a good performance. We dominated. That's why he wasn't as good as he can be.' Juventus boss Fabio Capello reflected: 'We deserved to lose and it was a good result for us, considering the way we played in the second half. The tie is still alive and the team can play a big game in Turin. 'In the first half we played as well as Arsenal until we conceded the first goal but, after the goal, Arsenal started playing better. At the end we had chances but when we lost the players there was no way. 'I don't think Zebina deserved to be sent off. I believe he was just late and it wasn't intentional. But I accept it. I never question the decision of the referee. Camoranesi was clearly at fault. He shouldn't have done it.'

ITN | March 29, 2006

Tags:. .delle. .comfortable. .reflected. .ran. .jonathan