Full Time: Arsenal 2-1 Norwich City (AET)
Arsenal, once again, delivered a disappointing performance. Arsene Wenger might be pleased since his team fought back to ensure progression, but after a frustrating night against Red Star Belgrade, this was another disappointing outing. In fact, the only reason they sealed a victory is 18-year-old Eddie Nketiah. The youngster made a name for himself as he bagged a brace to help Arsenal through to the next round of the Carabao Cup.
Josh Murphy put Norwich ahead with the first goal, following which Arsenal were showing signs of faltering. With the hosts struggling, Wenger sent on Nketiah, and he delivered a good result. Both goals were flawless and Nketiah deserves all the credit for the victory.
Arsenal Player Ratings
Matt Macey – 6/10
The young goalkeeper was clumsy for major parts of the match. He let in Murphy’s effort a little too easily and it was a frustrating night for him.
Mathieu Debuchy – 7/10
Debuchy was by no means perfect, but he was still better than Arsenal’s other defenders. He narrowly escaped conceding a penalty towards the end of the match.
Mohamed Elneny – 4.5/10
Whenever out of possession, Elneny looked clueless as to what to do next. He almost picked up a red card and topped it off with a disappointing performance.
Rob Holding – 6.5/10
Holding performs better when he plays with Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertsacker. Last night, he was unable to derive the kind of support he needs from the other centre-halves.
Reiss Nelson – 7/10
He was deployed in the right wing-back role but Nelson went about his duties quietly and diligently.
Francis Coquelin – 6/10
A few months back, Coquelin was a regular starter for Arsenal but now it is baffling to see his many limitations come to the fore.
Alex Iwobi – 6.5/10
Iwobi had an average outing as he and his teammates failed to link up effectively. He couldn’t do much with the ball either.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 7/10
Often touted as a utility player, Maitland-Niles put in a confident performance and it will be interesting to see what he has to offer in the future.
Theo Walcott – 4/10
Walcott’s movement off the ball was very weak. Most of his efforts were called offside (as usual), and the player just seemed rusty overall. He made no impact whatsoever for the Gunners.
Jack Wilshere – 7.5/10
Wilshere played a full 114 minutes and that itself is a massively encouraging sign. He was deployed as a No. 10 and the player made contributions whenever he could.
Olivier Giroud – 5/10
The Frenchman did not offer any movement or contribution in the final third. He was outshone by the young Nketiah on every level, and that itself speaks volumes of his inactivity.
Subs:
Chuba Akpom – 7.5/10
Injected some life in an otherwise dull Arsenal side.
Eddie Nketiah – 8/10
Although he came on in the 85th minute, the youngster deserves his points for the stunning brace.
Josh Dasilva – N/A
Came on for Iwobi in the 105th minute in what was an attempt to bring some balance back after some attacking substitutions from Wenger.
Joe Willock – N/A
Replaced Jack Wilshere in the 114th minute.
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