Noble cause for David: Bristol City goalscorer goes gunning for a meeting with Wenger

The Bristol City midfielder showed the sort of finishing power Wenger's team have sometimes lacked this season as his 30-yard rocket sizzled past Crystal Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni in added time.

The last-gasp goal sparked celebrations that furious Palace manager Neil Warnock insisted would come back to haunt City, despite the one-goal advantage they take to Ashton Gate for the semi-final second leg.

Noble can at least start to dream about a more enjoyable meeting with Wenger than the last one, which sent him freefalling to Boston United via West Ham.

'I thought I was close to breaking through at Arsenal because we won two youth cups and had a great team,' he said. 'But then Mr Wenger called me in and told me that they weren't offering me a contract.

'I had been there since I was nine and I had supported Arsenal since I was a baby. I'd love to play against them next season.'

Noble said he had turned away the moment he unleashed yesterday's winner, knowing exactly where the ball was headed.

It meant Bristol City manager Gary Johnson enjoyed the last laugh after Palace hot-head Shaun Derry, who had been substituted, had showered him with water in a confrontation minutes earlier. Stewards kept the benches apart as an argument erupted over Marvin Elliott's dreadful challenge on Danny Butterfield. Referee Michael Jones believed a yellow card for Elliott was sufficient punishment.

Warnock was as furious about that leniency as he was about City's postmatch celebrations, which hinted that the West Country side reckon the hardest part of their job has been done. Warnock also suggested the visitors had come to kick his youngsters off Selhurst Park.

Ever controversial, he said sarcastically: 'You could see from the celebrations that they are already at Wembley. We didn't like some of those celebrations, if I'm honest. There was no need to go off like they did. Football has a nasty habit sometimes when you think you've done it.

'As for the tackle on Elliott, if you can't see it is a red card then we shouldn't be out there. We were trying to play football. We didn't get any protection for our young kids.'

His opposite number may not have liked the soaking he received either, though the sweltering heat made the insult easier to bear. Johnson said: 'It was 90 degrees out there, so he (Derry) saw I was hot and decided to cool me down a bit. As for our celebrations, I nipped them in the bud and reminded my players that it is only half-time.'

The men from Ashton Gate had drawn first blood in a dramatic second half thanks to a pre-planned free-kick they call 'The Weasel', after the nickname of a former Johnson player called Darren Way.

A tapped set play saw matchwinner Noble pass to Nick Carle, who sent a sharp return into the danger zone towards Louis Carey.

The City captain, Bristol born and bred, could not have struck his shot more sweetly as Palace defenders looked on.

But, three minutes from time, Jose Fonte's theatrical dive following Carey's challenge convinced referee Jones to give a penalty. Warnock looked away, unable to follow Ben Watson's emphatic execution of the spot-kick. 'I don't like watching penalties, never have done,' he said.

The home crowd told him how well Watson had kept his nerve and Palace were back in the hunt for a return to the big time.

But, deep into added time, the semi-final swung back in favour of the Bristol side. Carle supplied Noble with a half-chance from long range, and what followed even left Warnock admitting: 'It was a cracking goal fit for the Premier League.'

But on the final whistle, it was vintage Warnock as he ranted and raved at the referee for all he was worth, acting as though he had been hideously wronged rather than awarded a dubious penalty for a lifeline.

In reality, Warnock has been undone by 'The Weasel' and a 26-year-old Arsenal reject. His last hope is to harness the fury his squad felt as they witnessed those premature Bristol City celebrations and add one last twist to an intriguing finale.