Arsenal scraped through to the quarter finals of the League – rather, Carabao – Cup with a 2-1 win over Norwich City at the Emirates.
The Championship side were resolute in defence, and created several counter-attacking opportunities. One of these – taken by Josh Murphy – took them into the break with the lead, and it took two goals from Eddie Nketiah, on only his second senior appearance, to win the game.
The youngster scored once in normal time and once in extra time to seal a victory that meant Arsenal carried on their stellar home form, even with a heavily rotated side.
Here’s how the Arsenal players rated:
Matt Macey - 8/10
Macey showed why he’s ready to step into a role as Arsenal’s number two with an assured performance against some dangerous Norwich attacks.
Mathieu Debuchy - 7/10
While he was lucky not to give a penalty away late on, the forgotten Frenchman put in a decent performance.
Mohamed Elneny - 6/10
It’s fair to say that Mo simply isn’t a centre back, and he struggled against Nelson Oliviera here. However, when stepping up to support the midfield, he was useful.
Rob Holding - 6/10
Like Elneny, he struggled against the Norwich attack, especially failing to track Josh Murphy for the goal. Not as composed as usual.
Reiss Nelson - 7/10
A mature performance from the talented youngster – though out of position, his directness and distribution are still visible.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles - 6/10
Also out of position, Maitland-Niles got into some good positions but seemed hesitant at crucial moments. A decent defensive performance, but his chemistry with Alex Iwobi was lacking.
Francis Coquelin - 6.5/10
Broke up play in midfield fairly well – though as usual, his distribution was not direct enough when it needed to be.
Jack Wilshere - 7/10
While not up to the standard he was in Serbia last Thursday, it was clear that he was our creative hub today. Perhaps he needs a run further up the pitch?
Alex Iwobi - 6/10
A bit of a ‘nothing’ game from the Nigerian today. Direct as usual, but often with no end product against a tight Norwich defence.
Theo Walcott - 6/10
Another senior player who failed to make an impression today. Walcott tends to stay too narrow, when against a deep lying defence, he needs to stretch the opposition.
Olivier Giroud - 5/10
One of the poorest players on the pitch, and a real disappointment. Clearly lost the battle against the physical Norwich centre backs.
Sub: Chuba Akpom - 6/10
Looked dangerous when he came on, putting real pressure on the Norwich defence.
Sub: Eddie Nketiah - 10/10
What more is there to say? Two smart finishes from set pieces have most likely secured Nketiah’s place in the Arsenal squad for the near future.