Arsenal development coach Terry Burton has praised the character shown by his players as Nico Yennaris' wonderful strike sent The Gunners through to the NextGen Series quarter final after victory over defending champions Inter Milan.

In horrendously wet conditions in the Italian capital, Yennaris settled the tight contest with a thunderous effort from 20 yards mid-way through the second half to send the visitors through to the last eight.

And Burton, only appointed to the role in the summer of 2012, has hailed Arsenal's youngster for a performance which saw them come of age in Milan, and book a quarter final alongside three other English sides, against CSKA Moscow.

Nico Yennaris
Yennaris scored the winner in Milan.

"Football intelligence does come in different ways, we know what it normally looks like but today it was different," Burton said. "They had to do the right things at the right time to win the game and they did that, to a man.

"In games like that, the conditions are the biggest opponents really, with all due respect to Milan. It is about trying to conquer the conditions as much as the opposition.

"The pleasing thing for me was how the players adapted as the game went on really.

"We started off where we were still trying to play in the normal way, trying to pass it and support in areas of the pitch where it would have caused us a problem if they continued to do it. But they adjusted and adapted really well."

Yennaris, who made his league debut for Arsenal in January 2012, provided the winner for a team including former Barcelona man hector Bellerin and Serge Gnabry, who made his professional debut in the League Cup against Coventry City earlier this season.

Chuba Akpom, widely considered to be the most exciting prospect from the Arsenal academy since Jack Wilshere, who is already known to current Arsenal assistant manager Steve Bould after his exploits in the youth team last season says the north Londoners can go all the way.

"It's the best feeling ever. When we saw the pitch we knew it would be hard from the very beginning but we stuck together as a team and battled through. We are all buzzing now," he said.

"We know we can win [the competition]. We have the players, we have the quality and the only way is forward for us. We are getting stronger and stronger.

"When you go through games like this, it just brings the team closer. We all want to win, we are all champions and this just bonds us together even more."