- Arsenal beat Bolton 5-1 in third round of the Carabao Cup
- Young Ethan Nwaneri bagged a brace in an eye-catching performance
- Declan Rice, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz also got on the scoresheet
Arsenal reached the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday evening as they beat Bolton Wanderers 5-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
A much-changed Arsenal lineup featuring a handful of academy prospects were given the odd scare by their visitors, but a brace from Ethan Nwaneri and goals from Declan Rice, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz secured a comfortable victory.
How the game unfolded
The first chance of the game actually fell to the League One visitors but Scott Arfield fired over from close range after just four minutes. Bolton felt they should have been awarded a penalty ten minutes later when Josh Sheehan was brought down in the area but referee Joshua Smith waved play on.
Arsenal rubbed salt in Bolton wounds just a minute later and it was Rice who put the Gunners ahead. Some poor defensive work from the away side saw the £105m midfielder collect the ball on the edge of the area before calmly placing his strike beyond Luke Southwood.
John McAtee almost offered up a response just after the half-hour mark but blazed over from a recycled corner kick, with Arsenal once again punishing Bolton's profligacy at the other end shortly afterwards.
The Premier League's youngest ever debutant was the provider of Arsenal's second, with Nwaneri tapping home Sterling's cross from a few yards out to put the home side in complete control of the game at half-time.
Bolton gifted Arsenal a third moments after half-time with Nwaneri picking off a sloppy pass before firing home from just inside the box to bag himself a well-deserved brace. Southwood got a hand to the teenager's effort but couldn't keep it out.
Just five minutes later, Bolton reduced the deficit with a sharp counter-attack. Striker Aaron Collins was sent through on goal following McAtee's excellent pass and he rounded 16-year-old Jack Porter in the Arsenal goal before slotting home.
But Arsenal's three-goal cushion was restored shortly after the hour mark as Sterling grabbed his first goal since his move to north London. Bukayo Saka was the creator as his cross was spilled by Southwood, with Sterling prodding over the line for one of the simplest goals of his career.
Sterling then turned provider as Kai Havertz added some gloss to the scoreline. The former Liverpool and Manchester City winger danced into the area and saw his shot rebuffed towards the penalty spot, with his German teammate on hand to poke into an empty net.
Arsenal eased their way to the final whistle with little fuss, securing an emphatic victory.
Arsenal player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Jack Porter - 6/10 - Had very little to do on his debut and was left stranded for Bolton's consolation strike. An exceptional experience for the 16-year-old, who couldn't quite manage a memorable clean sheet.
RB: Josh Nichols - 7/10 - Helped set up the opening goal - with some major help from the Bolton defence - and put in a solid showing in both halves, seeing plenty of the ball down the right-hand side.
CB: Jakub Kiwior - 6/10 - A little clumsy up against Collins at times but won the majority of his duels with little fuss. Would have preferred to have lined up on the left-hand side of the back four.
CB: Riccardo Calafiori - 6/10 - Booked in the first half and managed to avoid the red card curse that has haunted Arsenal in recent weeks. Strong on the ball with some great long passes but almost cost his side with a sloppy pass in the opening minutes.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly - 7/10 - Impressed defensively and in the Bolton half, putting in a shift down the left flank. A worrying injury to the 17-year-old somewhat marred an encouraging evening for him.
DM: Jorginho - 7/10 - Helped Arsenal dominate the midfield battle with a solid defensive outing and some neat passes. Helped protect his more youthful teammates in an inexperienced defence.
CM: Ethan Nwaneri - 9/10 - A majestic performance from the youngster, who glided across the turf with ease and picked himself up an impressive brace. Two relatively simple finishes but they were taken with excellent composure, with Nwaneri a creative influence throughout.
CM: Declan Rice - 8/10 - Scored the opening goal of the game with an accurate finish from 20 yards and was typically imposing in midfield. Grabbed himself an assist as well by intercepting a Bolton pass for Nwaneri's second.
RW: Bukayo Saka - 8/10 - An absolutely brilliant outing from Saka, with Bolton understandably unable to prevent the winger dazzling the home crowd. Set up the fourth with some excellent work down the right and was a constant menace.
ST: Gabriel Jesus - 7/10 - Fired inches wide in the first half and will be disappointed not to have come away with a goal or assist from a handsome victory. Worked his socks off in the final third even if it wasn't his day in and around the box.
LW: Raheem Sterling - 9/10 - Exactly what Sterling needed to give his confidence a much-needed boost as he tore the Bolton defence apart. Grabbed an assist and a goal for himself in a performance of old from the dynamic winger.
Substitutes
SUB: Gabriel (62' for Lewis-Skelly) - 6/10
SUB: Kai Havertz (62' for Rice) - 7/10
SUB: Maldini Kacurri (70' for Calafiori) - 6/10
SUB: Gabriel Martinelli (70' for Saka) - 7/10
SUB: Ismeal Kabia (81' for Sterling) - 6/10
Subs not used: Alexei Rojas (GK), Ayden Heaven, William Saliba, Thomas Partey.
Manager
Mikel Arteta - 8/10 - Made some big changes to his starting lineup, blending youth with experience. His faith in his young guns was rewarded as Arsenal strolled to a comfortable victory.
