Eighteen-year-old Eddie Nketiah was Arsene Wenger’s saviour, scoring both goals as Arsenal came from behind to knock Norwich out of the EFL Cup with a 2-1 victory.
Josh Murphy scored the first-half opener for the Championship side, who could have had several more as they tore through a weakened Arsenal that still had the quality to produce far more than it managed.
As Arsenal slipped inexorably out of the competition, Nketiah - a goalscoring sensation with the Gunners' youth sides - came to the rescue, converting from a corner only 15 seconds after coming on as a substitute.
He repeated the trick in extra time, outjumping the Norwich defence to head home from a Mohamed Elneny setpiece.
Wenger continued with the core of his ‘Europa League’ side for the visit of the Canaries, with Alex Iwobi and debutant goalkeeper Matt Macey drafted in.
Further forward the formidable front three of Olivier Giroud, Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott were retained but they found themselves starved of service and struggled to break down two lines of powerful Norwich defence.
Indeed Arsenal’s only chance of the first half would come from a set piece when Angus Gunn tipped a Rob Holding header over the bar. A header anywhere other than straight at the goalkeeper and the Gunners would have led.
But it would have been an unmerited advantage for a side that continued to leave gaping spaces in midfield for their opponents to exploit. Francis Coquelin and Iwobi were nominally the shielding duo, but were more often to be found throwing themselves into the attack.
A more incisive side than Norwich would have enjoyed far more success on the counter, but Arsenal’s luck could not hold and 11 minutes before the interval the Canaries led. Harrison Reed outmuscled Iwobi in midfield, James Maddison slipped a pass through and Murphy calmly chipped over the onrushing Macey.
Arsenal wouldn’t learn; Nelson Oliveira was denied by a diving Macey moments later. As their struggles continued into the second half tempers frayed, Iwobi wrestling Harrison Reed to the deck as he tried to get the ball to take a free-kick.
With 35 minutes to go the Gunners should have been reduced to 10 men when Oliveira was hauled down by Elneny. Arsenal’s last man was thoroughly relieved to only see yellow but the injustice spurred Norwich on.
Only Macey’s intervention kept a Murphy cross from the waiting Oliveira, while soon after both players spooned presentable chances over the bar.
With Arsenal stalling, Wenger must have regretted a bench of young prospects, with Chuba Akpom the closest approximation to a familiar face.
His introduction was unable to give Arsenal any attacking spark but youth sensation Nketiah was, as he tapped home Francis Coquelin’s flick-on of a corner to score with his first touch on only his second Arsenal appearance.
He didn’t need many more to get his second. After Arsenal were unable to break through in the remainder of normal time they found salvation only five minutes into extra time, Nketiah outjumping the Norwich defence to head home.
The EFL Cup has been the proving ground for many of Wenger’s brightest prospects over the past two decades. Whether Nketiah can hit the heights reached by Cesc Fabregas and Wilshere remains to be seen, but he has certainly started in the right fashion.
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