Arsenal 5-1 Bolton: Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri score their first Gunners goals in dominant victory over League One strugglers
After Myles Lewis-Skelly passed the ball to Raheem Sterling and his cross was handled by Ethan Nwaneri, many Arsenal fans’ wishes were fulfilled.
The Gunners’ second goal was created and scored by their Hale End academy, a facet of this club that often feels underused but is adored here.
Calls for Mikel Arteta to give the kids a chance have been going on for a long time, and even began shortly after his appointment in December 2019. Not an easy request when you’re chasing the Premier League title, but he has perhaps been overly cautious at times.
On Wednesday evening he could not be accused of such restraint, and the youngsters shone enormously.
The 17-year-old Nwaneri, who was appointed the youngest player in Premier League history by Arteta in September 2022, has largely had to watch from the bench since then.
Ethan Nwaneri scored his first two goals for Arsenal in a 5-1 win over Bolton on Wednesday
Nwaneri found the net in the 37th and 49th minutes of the Carabao Cup match in North London
His two victories over Bolton and qualification for the fourth round of the EFL Cup, where Arsenal will face Preston at the Deepdale Stadium, showed just how much talent he has.
The teenager’s second goal, straight through the hands of goalkeeper Luke Southwood, was the icing on the cake of an evening in which the young players performed their duties superbly.
Lewis-Skelly was sharp and looked at home on this stage, his comfort on the ball a telling sign. Jack Porter, the 16-year-old goalkeeper, who had a shocking start due to injuries and a cup-bound Neto, was understandably nervous but came through without any calamities, just not.
He passed the ball to Aaron Collins from close range, but the ball deflected off the Bolton man and went wide. A happy teenager — and the youngest ever Arsenal player to start a match.
Arteta said: ‘It’s been a really positive experience all round. We’ve given the opportunity to so many academy players, they’ve responded really well and it’s just so satisfying to see their faces, their reaction, how much it means to them.’
He said of Porter’s start: ‘We told him yesterday and he was immediately very happy.
“I think he spoke to his family and they weren’t prepared for that. But I think he reacted very well, he was in training yesterday and very calm today.
“What an experience and what a way to break a record.”
Nwaneri, Josh Nichols, Porter and Lewis-Skelly weren’t even born when the Emirates Stadium opened in July 2006 – a statistic Arteta will no doubt use the next time someone is accused of not fielding youth players.
Although it is Nwaneri who is not far from more minutes now. Certainly not. He is ready for the first team.
Nwaneri (centre) pictured immediately after scoring the first goal of his Arsenal career
Raheem Sterling also scored his first ever goal for the Gunners in Wednesday’s cup clash
Domestic cup competitions haven’t been Arteta’s focus of late. They won the FA Cup in 2020, his first season as Arsenal manager.
Yet such competitions, especially in the previous campaign, have been forgotten. A trophy, however big, wouldn’t hurt.
It seems the Spaniard thinks so. He replaced Gabriel, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli with a score of 4-1. That shows intent.
David Raya was rested as he was forced to leave the match against Man City with a bandage on his right knee.
Neto, Arsenal’s No.2 keeper who joined on loan from Bournemouth last summer, was in the cup, starting for the Cherries in their second-round defeat to West Ham before completing his move to north London.
And then there is the promising 18-year-old Tommy Setford, who has been out of the squad since the international break due to injury.
That paved the way for Porter. The Chelmsford-born goalkeeper had made just six appearances for Arsenal’s Under-18s and just one for the Under-21s.
Sterling found the net from close range to score Arsenal’s fourth goal against Bolton
16-year-old goalkeeper Jack Porter became the youngest starter in Arsenal’s history
The task that awaited League One Bolton was always going to be a challenge. Southwood knew that, taking more time than necessary from minute one for goal kicks and the like.
A minor penalty was awarded in the Arsenal penalty area after Gabriel Jesus made contact with Josh Sheehan, and the Trotters made sure there was a lot of traffic in the box after corner kicks.
But Arsenal, even with their eight substitutions, proved simply too much. Jesus attempted a bicycle kick that flew wide, and Sterling fired from distance.
Those efforts came between Declan Rice and Nwaneri’s goals before half-time. The ball came to Scott Arfield outside the penalty area. He panicked, the ball spun off his studs to Rice, who fired the ball into the bottom right corner.
That followed Nwaneri’s close-range finish from Sterling’s cross. Bolton, two goals down, started the second period with nothing to lose. They pushed on, but that left gaps.
Nwaneri had his second on 49 minutes, the floodgates slowly opening. The visitors pulled one back thanks to a dashing through ball from John McAtee, finished by Collins.
Sterling is pictured cheering on Arsenal supporters as he leaves the field in the 64th minute
However, by the time Sterling tapped home after a shot was saved by Bukayo Saka, the focus had shifted to which other players had the chance to take advantage of the ball.
Substitute Havertz got one too, towards the end of a feel-good evening. The kids are, certainly, okay.