Preston 0-3 Arsenal
by Layth Yousif
at Deepdale

ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta has hailed teenage star Ethan Nwaneri after the 17-year-old scored an excellent goal during the club’s comprehensive 3-0 victory at Preston North End on Wednesday evening. 

Arsenal eased into the last eight of the League Cup, where they will face Crystal Palace, with a resounding victory over the Championship side at Deepdale.

Speaking after the match, boss Arteta praised Nwaneri, saying: “It’s unbelievable but he does it in training almost every day. He’s got this quality, this personality, he’s there to make things happen, he doesn’t care who he’s got around him, he needs to make the decision for himself, he does it and he scored a fantastic goal.”

In front of 21,811, including 5,656 visiting supporters, Arteta, who also handed 18-year-old goalkeeper Tommy Setford his first team debut, saw his strong side dominate from first until last. 

Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring for the north Londoners midway through the first half, with an emphatic close-range effort, following Jakub Kiwior’s nod down from Gabriel Martinelli’s back-post ball. 

Talented teenager Nwaneri doubled the visitors lead before the interval with a superb strike, taking Jesus’s pass prior to firing into the top corner from the edge of the box.

Kai Havertz replaced Mikel Merino at the break, as the £65 million former Chelsea attacker headed home Kiwior’s cross, who posted his second assist of the match, to make it 3-0 on 57 minutes. 

As the clock ticked down, Nwaneri clipped Freddie Woodman’s bar, as the former Newcastle keeper denied Raheem Sterling with an excellent double save that left the Gunners forward stunned. 

The chance came prior to a late goal-line clearance from Preston midfielder Brad Potts, again to block Sterling, to ensure the scoreline remained vaguely respectable for the outclassed hosts. 

“You can see their quality,” Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom said after the match, adding: “They’re a really intense team and their levels very rarely drop.”

With three tough trips on the road to Newcastle, Inter Milan and Chelsea over the next nine days, Arsenal’s quest for silverware will certainly be put to the test.