6 dribbles & 7 duels won: Arsenal star getting back to his best under Mikel Arteta, not Ethan Nwaneri – opinion | OneFootball

Arsenal registered a convincing 3-0 win over Preston North End in the Carabao Cup fourth round last night.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta decided to ring in the changes with a number of bench players getting the nod to start.

17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri was exceptional at Deepdale. He scored a wonderful goal from the edge of the box.

The youngster could have had a hat-trick on another day. He also hit the woodwork and missed one big chance.

Raheem Sterling was another attacking player who grabbed our attention with his performance

The Englishman started from the right wing last night and he had a reasonably good opening half.

However, he stepped up with his performance after Gabriel Martinelli’s substitution at the hour mark.

Sterling was fantastic after switching to the left wing. He was unlucky to not find the net in the end.

The 29-year-old was denied by goalkeeper Freddie Woodman in the 63rd minute with a double save.

The winger looked set to score in the final seconds, but Brad Potts made a superb goalline clearance.

Sterling cut a frustrated figure after the final whistle, but he showed plenty of promise last night.

The Chelsea loanee is starting to find his form under Arteta which is a good thing for the Gunners.

Aside from three shots on target, Sterling completed six dribbles yesterday with seven duels won.

His performance may not be enough to start in Saturday’s Premier League game at Newcastle United.

However, he has certainly sent a message to the manager that he can be an option off the bench.

Sterling is quite clearly comfortable from the left wing and it remains to be seen whether he will replace Martinelli in the second half at St James’ Park.

Stats from Sofascore.com