Both sides fielded under-strength sides on Wednesday night, and the near capacity crown at Emirates Stadium saw fine long-range strikes from Fran Merida and Emiliano Insua as the sides went in level at the break.

A goal from Nicklas Bendtner after the break proved the winner for Arsenal as Wenger was left purring over some standout performances from a team of youngsters, with a sprinkling of experienced players.

"Overall it was a game of top quality with two teams who really went for it, played at a high pace," he said.

"We gave people what they paid for - top quality.

"The experienced players played well, so did the young players, some of whom were making their debut.

"Liverpool came back to 1-1, and we still managed to win, that shows we have also mental resources."

Wenger said of Merida, who was almost sent out on loan at the beginning of the season: "Fran is a quality player.

"He comes from a very good school.

"I kept him because I felt he had the quality to break through, but when you look at all the players who did not play, of course the competition for players is very difficult."

The Frenchman was also impressed by Arsenal's young full-backs, Kerrea Gilbert and Kieran Gibbs. The latter will have impressed England coach Fabio Capello who was watching in the stands.

"I think he was very good, both full backs were very good," added Wenger. "Kerrea Gilbert started a bit nervous but in the second half he became stronger and stronger and Kieran Gibbs was very good tonight."

Rafael Benitez was pleased with his side's display, and happy to get a few minutes out of new signing Alberto Aquilani. The midfielder is thought of as a long-term replacement for Xabi Alonso and made his Liverpool debut as a substitute after recovering from injury.

"The worst thing today was the result, but there were a lot of positives with players showing passion, character and quality on the pitch. Aquilani was one of these players," he said.

"He showed the ability he has. He needs to improve his match fitness, but you could see that he can pass the ball and can make a big difference in the final third.

"He is getting closer every day, but he needs games to improve his match fitness. It's a question of time.

"He will be an important player because he has quality. We want to push him, but we know we cannot push too hard. We need to keep working with him and try to get more minutes out of him in each game."