Arsenal picked up a 5-1 win over Bolton Wanderers in the EFL Cup, and Ethan Nwaneri was the star of the show at the Emirates.
Mikel Arteta, unsurprisingly, made a number of changes to his side. Four teenagers started the game for the first time in their careers – Jack Porter, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Josh Nichols and of course, Nwaneri.
The latter scored a brace for the Gunners, and he was joined on the scoresheet by Declan Rice, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz.
It was a comfortable win for the Premier League runners-up, and a few players broke some records too.
Ethan Nwaneri makes Arsenal history vs Bolton
Nwaneri is arguably the biggest talent to come out of Arsenal’s academy in recent years.
The 17-year-old has been a household name since he became the youngest player to make a Premier League appearance back in 2022.
Nwaneri finally got his first start for Arsenal in a competitive game against Bolton on Wednesday night, and the teenager took his opportunity.
The versatile attacker looked comfortable from the very first minute of the game. He was excellent on the ball, confident with his dribbling and also very efficient with his passes.
To add to that, Nwaneri scored twice – his first two goals for Arsenal.
It must have been a really special moment for the teenager, and by scoring a brace, he has entered his name into Arsenal’s history books.
Nwaneri became the first player under the age of 18 to score more than once on his first competitive start for Arsenal in the history of the club.
That is an unbelievable achievement, and we’re convinced there is more to come from him in the famous red and white.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta makes Ethan Nwaneri admission after he did something he never ‘expected’ at Arsenal
Ethan Nwaneri’s stats vs Bolton are very impressive
Making your full debut at 17 years of age is a very difficult thing to do, but Nwaneri made it look easy against Bolton on Wednesday night.
The teenager played the full 90 minutes at the Emirates, and he barely put a foot wrong. He was fantastic in that number 10 role and both his goals were well taken.
Nwaneri had 44 touches of the ball and completed 26 of his 28 attempted passes, maintaining a very impressive 93 per cent passing accuracy.
The youngster also created two chances for his teammates in attack while also helping out defensively with two tackles (Sofascore).
It was a hugely impressive performance from Nwaneri, and we really hope he will get some minutes when Arsenal take on Leicester City in the Premier League next.
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