Arsenal's Mark Randall (L) challenges Burnley's Chris Eagles during their English League Cup soccer match in Burnley, northern England Dec. 2, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, Dec. 3 -- Burnley followed its victory over Chelsea by beating Arsenal 2-0 to reach the League Cup semifinals Tuesday for the first time in 25 years.

    Derby beat Stoke 1-0 to eliminate another English Premier League team, but Burnley's convincing win over Arsenal largely made up of its promising youth players was the bigger shock.

Burnley's Robbie Blake (C) challenges Arsenal's Gavin Hoyte during their English League Cup soccer match in Burnley, northern England Dec. 2, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The northwest England team, which was last English champion in 1960 but was challenging for promotion to the Premier League, beat the Gunners through two goals by Kevin McDonald -- just three days after he scored his first for the club.

    "All the cameras are here so they must've known there would be an upset here," Burnley goalkeeper Brian Jensen said. "Anything can happen in football, so with a good draw and a little bit of luck, who knows how far we can go."

    McDonald gave Burnley a sixth-minute lead when he tapped in a rebound after Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianksi fumbled a dangerous cross from the right by former Manchester United midfielder Chris Eagles.

    Fabianksi also saved a header from Mike Duff and a bouncing half-volley by Robbie Blake before McDonald made it 2-0 in the 57th.

    The midfielder, the youngest player in the Burnley team at 20 years old, bustled past 19-year-old midfielder Mark Randall in the area to win possession and put the ball past Fabianski with the outside of his right foot.

    "Obviously the best goals I've scored so far," said McDonald, who joined from Dundee in Scotland in June.

    McDonald went off injured in the 60th, but Arsenal was unable to respond and needed Fabianski to save an on-target header by Martin Paterson.

    Arsenal's entire starting lineup has a combined 25 Premier League matches for the club, with 21 of those shared by Nicklas Bendtner and Mikael Silvestre. Kieran Gibbs, Paul Rodgers and Fran Merida have never even made a substitute appearance.

    Bendtner put two good chances past the post, the second with just four minutes to go when Arsenal was desperate.

    Burnley, which beat Chelsea in a penalty shootout in the last round, will be joined in the semifinals by Derby after Nathan Ellington hit an injury-time penalty kick at Britannia Ground.

    The referee awarded the kick for a handball in the area and Ellington, who played in the Premier League for Wigan and West Bromwich Albion, hit the ball low down the middle past diving goalkeeper Steve Simonsen.

    The other quarterfinals are played today, when four-time winner Tottenham continues its defense of the trophy at Watford, and Manchester United hosts Blackburn.

    The draw for the semifinals will be made on Saturday.

    (Source: Shanghai Daily/Agencies)

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