Arsenal show strength in depth with Carabao Cup win | OneFootball

Arsenal have made huge strides under the management of Mikel Arteta but this season looks to be a defining one in their evolution.

After near misses in the Premier League in each of the last two campaigns, Arsenal are aiming to win the title for the first time in 24 years in 2024/25.

While the Premier League is the main objective, the North Londoners will want to see progress on all fronts. Last season’s return to the UEFA Champions League saw Arsenal reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2010, though both domestic cup campaigns ended early.

Third-round and fourth-round eliminations in the FA Cup and League Cup respectively were disappointing for an Arsenal side who have failed to win silverware since Arteta’s debut campaign in charge.

Will their five-year drought end this season? The early signs suggest it is possible.

Arsenal progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening with a 5-1 thrashing of Bolton Wanderers at the Emirates. While tougher tests than the struggling third-tier side await, Arteta was able to rotate his squad sufficiently without compromising on performance.

Arteta’s team contained four academy players aged 18 or under, including Jack Porter who became the youngest-ever player to start an Arsenal first-team game. The England u-17 goalkeeper deputised for the injured David Raya and cup-tied Neto, aged just 16 years and 72 days.

He replaced Cesc Fabregas as Arsenal’s youngest-ever starter, with the Spaniard 16 years and 177 days old when he lined up against Rotherham United in the same competition in 2003.

Elsewhere, there were starts for full-back duo Joshua Nichols (18) and Myles Lewis-Kelly (17), while Ethan Nwaneri stole the headlines with a brace. The midfielder, who became English football’s youngest-ever top-flight player in 2022, aged 15, scored twice against Bolton to underline his huge potential.

Arteta opted for experience alongside his talented teens, with Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus all included, while there was a first start and goal for Raheem Sterling since his deadline day loan move from Chelsea.

With Riccardo Calafiori stepping up his minutes and Mikel Merino still to return, Arsenal appear to have strengthened smartly in key areas during the summer and have emerging academy graduates supplementing a talented squad.

A young hungry squad are chasing silverware and Arsenal tickets will be in demand for an upcoming schedule that includes huge Champions League clashes with Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, and Premier League contests against Liverpool and Chelsea, before the New Year.

Arsenal fixtures in 2024

Premier League (EPL)

UEFA Champions League (UCL)

Carabao Cup

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