Teen Nwaneri stars as Arsenal release tension with hammering of Bolton
Second Against Wigglesworth The Goal Bolton Photo/kirsty Arsenal's Side's Ap Picture: Celebrates Nwaneri Star: Ethan His After Scoring Rising
AND RELAX. The Arsenal kids are alright and this match was just what manager Mikel Arteta and his senior players needed to release any tension still running through the system after a week of three gruelling games on the road.
Sunday’s Battle of the Etihad against Manchester City has been the talk of the Premier League town, followed by a deluge of debate about ‘dark arts’ and negativity. That match, of course, had come quick on the heels of a testing Champions League draw away to Italy’s Atalanta and a momentous with at local rivals at Tottenham before that.
Still without a host of injured players, Teenager Ethan Nwaneri - remember the name - was the solo star of the night with his first two goals for the club, playing in the role of captain Martin Odegaard. He was joined in the starting line-up by fellow 17-year-old Myles Lewis Skelly and tiny Josh Nicholls, 18. All Londoners, all products of the club’s Hale End Youth Academy. Essex goalkeeper Jack Porter, 16 years 177 days, replaced legend Cesc Fabregas as Arsenal’s youngest ever starter.
The last three were all making their full debuts – Nwaneri a veteran of sorts having become the Premier League’s youngest ever player two years ago, when he was just 15. Odegaard will be out for a good few weeks yet and now we will see if Arteta trusts Nwaneri in Saturday’s Premier League visit of Leicester.
Odegaard made his presence felt last night in the match programme, issuing a positive update for Arsenal supporters on his ankle ligament damage. He wrote: “It was a bad twist to my ankle, and I damaged some ligaments there, but it’s part of football and now I’m just trying to recover as quickly as I can.
"I’m moving forward, making progress and I’m feeling more positive every day. I’m working hard and my only thought is to get back as soon as possible."
"I’ve injured my ankle before and the pain felt a bit different this time. That’s what scared me, but from what happened it could have been worse, so in that sense I got away with it a bit.”
There was no getting away from it for League One Bolton, their Premier League years a distant memory of 2012. They came to London with huge support and played with purpose as they almost took an early lead through Scott Arfield, who shot over the bar.
The experienced Canada international then made a mess of clearing a Lewis-Skelly pass and allowed the ball to run to its intended target, Declan Rice on the edge of the area. The England midfielder curled a classy shot in to give Arsenal a 16th minute lead.
The impressive Lewis-Skelly was involved in their second, 290 seconds later, when he released fellow home debutant Raheem Sterling down the left. The Wembley winger drove in a low cross and Nwaneri gleefully got to the ball first to celebrate his first senior goal for his boyhood club.
Some poor Bolton defending conceded possession shortly into the second half and this time Nwaneri ran at goal before scoring with a precise low, left foot shot.
Bolton pulled one back on the break soon after through Aaron Collins. The match was already long over as a contest.
A smile as wide as the pitch spread across Sterling’s face when he netted his first Gunners goal on loan from Chelsea with a 64th minute tap in. Kai Havertz came off the bench to score Arsenal’s fifth as the driving rain did nothing to dampen their appetite for attacking football.
Porter 6, Nichols 7, Kiwior 6, Calafiori 7 (Kacurri 70), Lewis-Skelly 7 (Gabriel 62); Rice 7 (Havertz 62), Jorginho 6, Nwaneri 8; Saka 7 (Martinelli 71), Jesus 6, Sterling 7 (Kabia 81) . Subs: Rojas, Gabriel, Saliba, Heaven, Partey.
Southwood 6, Dacres-Cogley 5, Forino 5 (Johnston 71), Santos 5, Toal 6, Williams 6, Sheehan 6, Dempsey 6, Arfield 4 (Thomason 69), McAtee 5 (Adeboyejo, 78) , Collins 6 (Chalres 78). Subs: Baxter, Schon, Inwood, Matheson, Matete,
John Smith 6