Arsenal's team of stand-ins and untried youngsters provided a fitting tribute to the memory of Double-winning hero George Armstrong with a sparkling display despite Ipswich substitute James Scowcroft's 90thminute English League Cup third-round winner at Highbury last night.

Eight of the players in manager Arsene Wenger's unfamiliar line-up have studied their trade under reserve-team coach Armstrong who died yesterday.

They wore black armbands in mourning for the wing-wizard of the great 1971 Double-winning team, observed a moving one-minute silence before the start and then found themselves a goal down to full-strength Ipswich after just 100 seconds.

But Wenger had also sprinkled his side with touches of stardust in £13 million sterling French striker Sylvain Wiltord and new £1 million Latvian centre back Igors Stepanovs.

And after the all-action Wiltord had struck the junction of post and bar with a crashing 25-yard blast in the 18th minute, racing onto Stepanov's pass, the big defender headed an equaliser a minute from half-time to finally answer Jamie Clapham's second-minute opener.

But Scowcroft grabbed a winner right at the end when he slid the ball in from six yards after Matthew Upson blocked a Clapham drive.

Arsenal: Taylor, Stepanovs, Wiltord, Upson, Vivas, Barrett, Cole, Vernazza, Weston (Canoville 74), Pennant (Mendez 56), Volz (Wreh 59). Subs Not Used: Kaffour, Lukic. Booked: Stepanovs, Vivas, Wreh. Goals: Stepanovs 44.

Ipswich: R. Wright, Wilnis, Clapham, McGreal, Magilton, Holland, Johnson, Stewart (Scowcroft 46), J. Wright, Bramble (Reuser 46), Hreidarsson, Reuser (Karic 90). Subs Not Used: Salmon, Scales. Booked: McGreal. Goals: Clapham 2, Scowcroft 89. Attendance: 26,105.

Referee: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees).