Troy Perrett (pictured), Will Spiers and Trey George all scored first senior goals for Cardiff
A youthful Cardiff City side ran out 3-1 winners against 10-man Arsenal Under-21s to top Southern Group A and progress to the last 32 of the EFL Trophy.
Academy prospects Gabriel Keita, Alyas Debono, Matty Apter, Trey George and Dan Ola were handed debuts from the start by Bluebirds boss Brian Barry-Murphy.
A lively start to the match at the Cardiff City Stadium saw Arsenal take the lead through Marcell Washington's low drive on 17 minutes after some fantastic build-up play from left winger Charles Sagoe Jr, whose devastating pace sliced the home defence apart.
The hosts responded within two minutes, as Troy Perrett fired a low shot through Arsenal keeper Alexei Rojas' legs to level.
For Arsenal, former Swansea loanee Sagoe Jr remained a constant threat down the left wing throughout a tightly contested first half.
After the break, Will Spiers first came close to giving Cardiff the lead when his strike cannoned off the bar.
The turning point came just before the hour when Arsenal were reduced to 10 men, with Rojas seeing red after he was beaten to the ball by Cardiff substitute Luke Pearce.
Cardiff quickly took advantage as Spiers' curling cross found the corner to put them ahead.
Barry-Murphy's team thought they had extended their advantage only for Pearce's effort to be ruled out for offside, with the third goal coming in added time as George marked his debut with a goal.
The draw for the round of 32 takes place at 14:30 GMT on Thursday, 13 November, with Exeter City the other side to go through in the group after their win over Newport County earlier in the evening.
