Arsenal Ease to Comfortable Win Against Bolton at the Emirates

On a night of many firsts at the Emirates, Arsenal eased themselves to an easy, comfortable win at home against Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

After three incredibly tough away games at Tottenham, Atalanta, and then four time champions Manchester City on Sunday, Mikel Arteta must have enjoyed the respite and the change of pace. It was reflected too in the team he fielded—with four Academy youngsters starting, and another four on the bench.

Arsenal Line-Up

First XI: Porter, Nichols, Kiwior, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri, Jorginho, Rice, Saka, Jesus, Sterling

Bench: Rojas, Kacurri, Heaven, Saliba, Gabriel, Partey, Kabia, Martinelli, Havertz

The Match Itself

It was the first chance for Arsenal fans to watch their team at home since 31st August when they last played at the Emirates, against Brighton in the Premier League. And they created a wonderful atmosphere too, which certainly helped the young Gunners on the pitch.

In goal was Jack Porter, now the youngest player to ever start an Arsenal first-team match at 16 years and 72 days old. He was joined by Josh Nichols—making his senior debut at right-back, and Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back—making his first start for the Gunners, having made his senior debut off the bench away at the Etihad against Manchester City three days ago.

Ethan Nwaneri, the youngest ever player to feature in the Premier League—aged 15 in September 2022 against Brentford—made his first start for Arsenal, playing in midfield next to Jorginho and Declan Rice.

It was Rice who kicked things off on the night, scoring Arsenal’s first with an excellent finish from the edge of the box when Nichols’ cross found its way, via deflections, through to him in the 16th minute.

Raheem Sterling, also making his first Arsenal start, was released down the left by Lewis-Skelly in the 37th minute, and put his low cross on a platter for young Nwaneri to score his first ever Arsenal goal.

Nwaneri’s second was not too far away. Arsenal picked things up in the second half where they had left them at half-time. Rice showed wonderful anticipation to intercept a Bolton pass at the edge of their box. His touch set it up nicely for Nwaneri, who made no mistake in sliding it past the goalkeeper.

Arsenal were 3-0 up and cruising in the 49th minute but Bolton broke on the counter in the 53rd, and Aaron Collins rounded Porter to pull one back.

There was to be no comeback. Gabriel and Havertz replaced Lewis-Skelly and Rice in the 62nd minute. Two minutes later, Saka’s low cross, whipped in from the right, was deflected into Sterling’s path, who poked it into the empty net for his first ever Arsenal goal.

Mikel Arteta made more changes, and Maldini Kacurri made his senior debut for the club, replacing Calafiori in the 70th minute before Martinelli came on for Saka in the 71st.   

In the 77th minute, after some nimble footwork from Jesus out on the right, Sterling’s shot was parried back into the goal-mouth scramble for Kai Havertz to make it 5-1. Ismeal Kabia replaced Sterling in the 81st minute, to become the fourth Arsenal player to make their senior debut on the night.

Reaction to the Result

Mikel Arteta: “Yes, a really positive night, the result, the performance we gave minutes to a lot of senior players and they really showed a lot of quality tonight and on top of that we gave a lot of opportunity to quite a lot of academy players, they responded really well, and it’s so fulfilling to see their faces, their reaction how much it means to them, so great night.”

Ethan Nwaneri: “I’m buzzing. I’m so happy to have helped the team go through to the next round and just ready for whatever’s next. It’s a great feeling when the club you love, the club you’ve grown up with the fans are chanting that [Ethan Nwaneri, he's one of our own]. So yeah, it’s a good feeling.

“It’s a surreal feeling. It’s a feeling I’ve wanted to feel for almost 16 years of my life so to actually feel it, it’s crazy… just want more of it.

“All them players that I’ve played with since I’ve been like 9 and now we’re on the big pitch together, it’s a crazy feeling. You know, it’s good.”

After the Final Whistle

In total, seven players made their first starts for the club, four of whom made their senior debuts, and two scored their first ever goals.

Arsenal have been drawn away against Preston North End in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. Up next, they host Leicester City, PSG in the Champions League, and then Southampton.

It is a run of fixtures at the Emirates they will be expected to win, so they can consolidate and build upon their excellent start to the 2024-25 season. Based on the evidence from tonight, it is not just their present but also their future which looks bright and full of promise.