Arsenal youngsters shine vs Brighton as quarter-final spot secured - 5 talking points
ARSENAL 2-0 BRIGHTON: The Gunners have sealed their spot in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup with Ethan Nwaneri both on the scoresheet vs Brighton on Wednesday evening
Arsenal's academy came to the fore as the Gunners secured their spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals vs Brighton. The North London side found themselves on the backfoot for the majority of the first-half and were indepted to goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for still being level.
But Mikel Arteta's side hit the front through academy graduate Ethan Nwaneri. England star and fellow Hale End product Bukayo Saka was then on hand to double the Gunners' lead as he fired home from a ricochet.
Here are all of the talking points from the Emirates as Arsenal safely found a way through the the last eight.
Dowman makes history
Max Dowman has been on the radar for some time at the Emirates Stadium. After making his first-team debut against Leeds United earlier this season, the youngster achieved another memorable feat against Brighton as he became the Gunners' youngest-ever starter.
At just 15 years and 302 days, he claimed the crown from fellow academy graduate Jack Porter, who was 16 when he was selected from the start last season.
Dowman certainly made an impression, which will be pleasing to Arteta, and the fact that he now has a place in Arsenal history will be an achievement that he won't forget.
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Early chances for Brighton
Given all of the changes to the Arsenal side, a slightly slow start might have been expected. But Arteta's men might have felt slightly fortunate to have not been behind at the break.
The Seagulls dominated the opening exchanges, and carved out a number of golden chances through Carlos Baleba, Diego Gomez and Charalampos Kostoulas, with stand-in goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga needing to be switched on to keep Arsenal level.
Nwaneri opens the scoring
Given the side was packed with some of the most promising youngsters to come out of Hale End, it was no surprise to see arguably the best of them of recent years open the scoring for Arsenal. The Gunners had put together a stunning move that saw Merino back-heel into the path of Myles Lewis-Skelly.
He centred for Nwaneri, who guided the ball into the far corner with a cultured finish. After scoring nine goals for the side last season, the 18-year-old has now opened his account for the campaign and will hope to add to that as the season progresses, especially given that the Gunners have reached the next round of the Carabao Cup.
Kepa impresses
Having made just one appearance for Arsenal so far since his summer move from Chelsea, Kepa might have had some slight rustiness in this game. But there wasn't really a sign of that.
The Spaniard produced a number of excellent stops, while his claims from high balls also alleviated a lot of pressure upon the Arsenal goal.
Kepa's arrival in North London was not roundly lauded but his performances as a back-up for David Raya have been productive and were exactly what Arsenal were looking for when they made a move for his services.
Saka stears home
With 15 minutes remaining, another academy graduate was on the scoresheet - but this time it was one of their more experienced team members: Bukayo Saka. Andre Harriman-Annous was released in behind with a fantastic pass, but he failed to find a way past Jason Steele.
The ball fell to Saka, who stayed composed to manufacture space and fire home into the unguarded net. It represented his fourth goal in what is turning into yet another hugely productive campaign.
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