Arsenal travelled to Deepdale Stadium to take on Preston North End in an EFL Cup clash on Wednesday evening.
Mikel Arteta will be eyeing glory in the EFL Cup this season, as he will be desperate for his Arsenal side to get their hands on some silverware as soon as possible.
However, the Spanish coach also took this fixture as an opportunity to rotate his starting XI. Tommy Setford made Arsenal history, as the 18-year-old goalkeeper made his debut between the sticks.
Meanwhile, Hale End academy wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri was given the nod, whilst veteran midfielder Jorginho will have been eager to impress having been afforded a rare start.
Gabriel Jesus ended his long goal drought to put the Gunners ahead, before Nwaneri struck from range. Substitute Kai Havertz then added gloss to the scoreline after the break, securing a comfortable 3/10 win for the North London outfit.
Raheem Sterling and Jurrien Timber of Arsenal look on during the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between Preston North End and Arsenal at Deepdale …
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal player ratings vs Preston North End
Tommy Setford – 7
Not overly troubled but the teenage goalkeeper looked composed and assured as he made his Arsenal debut.
Jurrien Timber – 7
Jurrien Timber played the first half at right-back, before being replaced by Thomas Partey. Got forward well and was never really tested defensively.
William Saliba – 7
An evening spent in cruise control.
Jakub Kiwior – 7
Jakub Kiwior misplaced the odd pass and produced the occasional poor touch, but did also register two assists. Kiwior needed to impress Arteta this evening and largely managed that.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 5
A rare start for Oleksandr Zinchenko who looked understandably rusty. The former Manchester City man didn’t do too much wrong, but his efforts to break down the opposition never really amounted to much. Arteta has suggested Zinchenko is still in his plans, but the left-back will have to do much more to climb back up the pecking order.
Jorginho – 6
The Italian veteran kept things ticking over as Arsenal dominated possession throughout.
Mikel Merino – 6
Mikel Merino produced some eye-catching touches in the first half, without really imposing himself on the game, before being replaced by Havertz at half-time.
Ethan Nwaneri – 9
The clamour for Nwaneri to be handed more regular starts will only intensify as he blew Preston North End away, particularly in the opening period. His strike from range will live long in the memory, and is has to be assumed that there is much more to come.
Raheem Sterling – 7
Raheem Sterling tried to make things happen, and showed flashed of quality. He certainly improved after he was shifted to the left flank, but overall there were too many moments of indecision, loose touches, and instances of the Chelsea loanee being too slow to release the ball. Arteta is an admirer of Sterling, but the winger is lacking his spark at the moment.
Gabriel Martinelli – 6
Gabriel Martinelli caused problems with his pace and directness, but couldn’t carve out any real chances for himself.
Gabriel Jesus – 7
The Brazilian striker will be delighted to have scored his first Arsenal goal since January, and generally looked bright on the ball.
Substitutes
Kai Havertz – 7
The German settled the game with a thumping header.
Thomas Partey – 6
Added some experience at the back.
Bukayo Saka – 6
Came on with the game won.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 6
Myles Lewis-Skelly looked comfortable at left-back in the final half hour, seeing plenty of the ball.
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