Arsenal eased into the fourth round of the EFL Cup with a 5-1 win over Bolton Wanderers at the Emirates.
It was a night to remember for several Arsenal starlets as Mikel Arteta handed full senior debuts to four teenagers.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jack Porter, Josh Nichols and Ethan Nwaneri were named in the starting XI for the first time, with the latter making quite the impression.
Nwaneri became the youngest Arsenal player to score in 16 years, as he netted twice on his full debut to show the Emirates what he’s capable of.
While the attention will rightly be on the debutants, it was a night to remember for Raheem Sterling, who scored and claimed two assists on his first start for Arsenal following his deadline day move.
Declan Rice and Kai Havertz also found themselves on the scoresheet on what was a comfortable night for the Gunners in N5.
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Five things Mikel Arteta learned as Arsenal beat Bolton 5-1 in the EFL Cup
Arteta was given the chance to assess his academy players against Bolton, as well as seeing how those around the first team performed in the cup.
From debuts to goals, the Spaniard was handed a lot of intel to study, here are five things that may have caught the manager’s eye.
Ethan Nwaneri is ready now
To start with perhaps the most obvious take from the fixture is the pedigree of Nwaneri, who netted a brace against the Trotters.
Arsenal were already well aware of the 17-year-old’s quality however, seeing how the attacking midfielder performed on his first senior start was truly exciting.
Not only has Arteta got more of an idea of where the teenager is at in terms of his development, but has realised that the Englishman is far closer to being a first-team regular than anticipated.
Taking age out of the equation, Nwaneri is a player of first team quality, with his mentality, physicality and skill set communicating such during the win over Bolton.
Raheem Sterling looked sharp
Nwaneri wasn’t the only player to impress on his full debut, as Sterling was electrifying from start to finish during his 81 minutes on the pitch.
The 29-year-old scored his first goal for Arsenal on the night, as well as providing two assists to set up both Nwaneri and Havertz for their goals.
It was just the performance that Sterling needed after his deadline day arrival on loan from Chelsea, with a point to prove to Arteta as he aims to find a way into the starting XI.
Given his display against Bolton, it will be interesting to see if the England international gets his first Premier League start for the Gunners against Leicester City.
Gabriel Jesus failed to take his chance
A less inspired performance came from Gabriel Jesus, who would have been desperate to impress the boss after being handed a start.
The Brazilian has had a difficult six months at Arsenal as a result of the emergence of Havertz at centre-forward, with his display against Bolton not doing him any favours.
While Jesus wasn’t particularly bad, he wasn’t particularly good either, in what was a performance that failed to capture the headlines in what was a strong opportunity to impress.
The 27-year-old showed a moment of magic late in the fixture in the build up to Havertz’s goal; however, that was the highlight of an underwhelming evening for Jesus.
Riccardo Calafiori is a strong progressive thinker at centre-back
After making the headlines for his goal and full Premier League debut against Manchester City, Riccardo Calafiori was handed another start by Arteta in the cup.
The Italian was utilised at centre-back by the boss, partnering Jakub Kiwior to protect young Porter’s goal.
Arteta would have seen that he has a refreshing outlet at centre-back in Calafiori, whose desire to play progressively was difficult to ignore.
It’s a huge positive for Arsenal to have another versatile defender in their ranks, with the summer signing looking like the real deal in Arteta’s squad.
Jorginho can never be the last man
While Arteta won’t have many complaints from the victory, the Spaniard may be having some nightmares induced by Jorginho.
The midfielder put on a composed and classy display against the League One outfit however, it became abundantly clear that he can never be isolated as the last man again.
As Jorginho attempted to track back before Bolton’s goal, the Italian was seen running at an alarmingly slow pace to try and prevent the counter-attack.
It was an almost comical attempt to track back by the midfielder, who will be better protected in the future by Arteta to avoid a repeat.
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