Arsenal put in a superb performance away at Championship side Preston North End to reach the EFL Cup quarter-finals.
First-half goals from Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri sent Arsenal on their way, before Kai Havertz added a third in the second period.
It was an utterly dominant display from Arsenal, despite Mikel Arteta making several changes to freshen up his squad, and he will have learned more about some of the fringe players in his side.
- READ MORE: Arsenal player ratings vs Preston, Ethan Nwaneri dazzles as an old Mikel Arteta favourite gets 5/10
Raheem Sterling fails to score again
Raheem Sterling started in place of Bukayo Saka on the right wing, but the Chelsea loanee yet again failed to score.
The winger looked frustrated at times as he failed to make an attacking impact, in a game in which Jesus ended his goal drought and Nwaneri made Arsenal history with his strike.
Although he did have some positive moments and dribbles, he failed to find the back of the net on several occasions, and he will hope to change that soon, with his only goal so far coming against Bolton.
Sterling had a late effort cleared off the line, and it clearly was not his night.
It has been a slow start to life at Arsenal for Sterling, and he did little to convince Arteta that he should be given more Premier League starts now Saka is back from injury.
Ethan Nwaneri is ready for the Premier League
Fans have clamoured for Nwaneri to start more, and he showed exactly why against Preston. The teenager was arguably the best player on the pitch, and his goal was the highlight of the night.
Nwaneri showed remarkable composure amongst the first-team at a senior level, and continued to show why he is ready to make an impact in the Premier League.
With Martin Odegaard still absent, Nwaneri could not have done more to convince Arteta to give him more opportunities.
Gabriel Jesus ends Arsenal goal drought
There was a lot of attention on Jesus, who has not scored in any competition since January. However, he showed that he still has a lot of quality to offer.
Jesus opened the scoring with an excellent finish after a header down from Jakub Kiwior, before he set up Nwaneri for his goal.
The Brazilian looked bright against Preston, and there were signs that he could be set to find his best form.
Jakub Kiwior’s surprise attacking threat
Kiwior had a poor week leading into the game, but he put in a hugely positive performance at centre-back in the absence of Gabriel Magalhaes.
The Poland international set up Jesus’ opener with a clever header from Gabriel Martinelli’s corner, before he created Havertz’s goal with a truly outstanding whipped cross.
Kiwior was perhaps playing for his future against Preston, but he finally showed what he was capable of at his best, and Arteta will hope he can continue this form if Gabriel is set for a spell on the sidelines.
Mikel Arteta is not afraid to use youth players
Arteta has come in for some criticism over under-using the top talents from the Hale End Academy, but this was far from the case against Preston.
Tommy Setford had a promising debut in goal, whilst Nwaneri stole the show in midfield.
Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ayden Heaven also came on during the second half, with Arteta leaning on the academy in a time when a lot of first-team stars were unavailable, and he could continue this trend in the quarter-finals.
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