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Preston boss claims Arsenal’s ‘fantastic’ player was simply unstoppable in EFL Cup clash
Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom would have anticipated a few flashes of Premier League quality during Wednesday’s EFL Cup meeting with Arsenal.
But, as Mikel Arteta handed starts to seasoned internationals Raheem Sterling, Jorginho, Mikel Merino, Oleksandr Zinchenko, William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli while introducing Kai Havertz off the bench, the standout moment in The Gunners 3-0 win came not from their Brazilian duo or a German forward in the form of his life.
Instead, it came courtesy of Ethan Nwaneri.
Arsenal’s 17-year-old wonderkid opened his senior account against third-tier Bolton Wanderers in the previous round; Nwaneri earned comparisons with Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard in the aftermath.
The sumptuous finish Nwaneri produced at Deepdale, meanwhile, provided a glimpse into the remarkable potential The Gunners discovered when making the teenager the youngest-ever Premier League debutant a couple of years ago.
Preston boss lauds Ethan Nwaneri’s stunning Arsenal strike
Nwaneri had already scuffed a close-range effort straight into the arms of Preston goalkeeper Freddie Woodman when he picked up possession outside the Lilywhites penalty area with 33 minutes on the clock.
And, where Nwaneri failed from around 12 yards, he more than succeeded from 20-plus.
Shifting the ball onto his favoured left-footed, the teenager needed only a foot of space to curl a picture-perfect shot into the top corner of the Preston net.
Former Sheffield United and Leeds boss Heckingbottom had guided Preston to five games unbeaten before Arsenal arrived in Lancashire. But seldom had his side come up against quality like this in England’s second tier.
“The second goal is fantastic,” Heckingbottom says during his post-match press conference, singling out Nwaneri’s magisterial finish as an example of the gulf between the two sides. “Watching it back, I don’t think you will find a way to stop that.
“But, for me, I think we felt their levels in terms of their quality and intensity without the ball. They really put us under pressure.
“But as good as they were, I didn’t feel we were showing how good we can be with the ball, and with the players we had on the pitch,” the Preston boss adds, frustrated that his side did not do themselves justice in the opening 45 minutes.
“That was sort of the challenge thrown down to the players at half-time; we needed to be braver and better on the ball. I thought we did that second-half.
“I knew exactly what to expect from Mikel and his team. Having seen the team sheet, it reinforced that, so I knew what was coming.”
Mikel Arteta not surprised by Nwaneri’s EFL Cup masterclas
Arteta fielded a if not quite full-strength Arsenal XI then certainly one capable of striking fear into the heart of many Premier League teams, not to mention Championship outfits.
Havertz stepped off the bench to take his tally to seven goals in 14 games following a whipped Jakub Kiwior cross.
The sort of bullet header which is quickly becoming a trademark for a man who, with every act of penalty-box poaching, is starting to look more and more like a truly elite number nine.
Arteta did take the chance to hand an Arsenal debut to goalkeepr Tommy Setford and substitute Ayden Heaven, however, while pointing out at full-time that Nwaneri’s gorgeous finish just past the half-hour mark was nothing he had not seen before.
“I’m very happy with all of them,” Arteta said, Nwaneri doubling Arsenal’s lead after Gabriel Jesus ended his drought with an instinctive, close-range volley.
“For Gabi, it was very important because he hadn’t scored for many months so that’s going to be really positive for him.
“The goal that Ethan scored obviously was phenomenal. He keeps doing it in training, he’s got the ability, his personality, to make decisions in the final third so I’m really happy.”