UPDATE 1-Soccer-Arsenal's youngsters on fire in 6-0 cup win

(Updates after later games, adds Wenger quotes)

By Mitch Phillips

LONDON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Arsenal's future looks to be in safe hands after a largely teenage side produced a sparkling display to thrash Championship (second division) Sheffield United 6-0 in the third round of the League Cup on Tuesday.

Nineteen-year-old Mexico striker Carlos Alberto Vela led the way with a hat-trick, while 16-year-old Jack Wilshere ran the midfield in a performance that must left manager Arsene Wenger purring.

Manchester United needed two late goals to beat 10-man Middlesbrough 3-1 at Old Trafford while Liverpool, showing 11 changes from the team who drew with Stoke City at the weekend, beat League One (third division) Crewe 2-1 at Anfield.

Gianfranco Zola, who got off to a winning start in his new role as manager of West Ham United at the weekend, tasted defeat on Tuesday when a Hayden Mullins own goal gave Watford victory at Vicarage Road, while Fulham were also on the wrong end of an upset when they lost 1-0 at Burnley, also from the Championship.

Sunderland and Stoke both needed penalty shoot-outs to get past third division Northampton and second division Reading respectively.

Wenger's policy of playing youth players in the League Cup took Arsenal to the semi-finals last season and he had already said he intended to stick with it this year.

Aside from 23-year-old goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianksi, Tuesday's team had an average age of 19 and the youngsters rewarded their manager's faith by tearing United apart.