In the Carabao Cup knockout round, Arsenal only had to welcome the lower-league Preston. There were no surprises, as Mikel Arteta's team easily won 3-0 and advanced to the Quarterfinals. The Gunners' goalscorers were Gabriel Jesus, Ethan Nwaneri and Kai Havertz.
For Nwaneri, this was a huge step forward. The 17-year-old Arsenal academy star played quite maturely and impressed with a great goal against Preston.
“He did the same thing in training yesterday, so we’re probably used to it,” Arteta said of Nwaneri after the game. “He has great talent, the right attitude. We have the right players and we need to make sure we put the right pieces in place at the right pace. But it’s clear that the academy has great talent.”
Nwaneri currently holds the record for being the youngest player to feature in the Premier League, aged 15 years and 181 days. Now 17, the striker is ready for a bigger role at Arsenal, having scored three goals in six games this season.
Arteta continued to talk about his player’s qualities: “He will be the one who sets the pace of the game. I am very happy with what he has shown. He is a character, he wants to express himself, he wants to have every ball and do everything.
“He is also very respectful of everyone, with a great work ethic. He loves what he does, you can see that. His teammates always pass the ball to him and that is a great sign.”
