September 25, (THEWILL) – Arsenal cruised to a 5-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the EFL Cup third round, with young star Ethan Nwaneri scoring twice on his first start for the club.
The match at Emirates Stadium saw Arsenal field a mix of youth and experience, including 16-year-old goalkeeper Jack Porter.
Declan Rice opened the scoring with a curling shot from outside the box. Nwaneri then made his mark, sliding home his first senior goal for Arsenal after being set up by Raheem Sterling. The young talent doubled his tally early in the second half, capitalising on a defensive error to slot past Bolton keeper Luke Southwood.
Bolton managed to get on the scoresheet through Aaron Collins, who finished off a counter-attack by rounding Porter and finding the net. However, Arsenal quickly reasserted their dominance, with Sterling notching his first goal for the club before substitute Kai Havertz completed the scoring.
The match demonstrated Arsenal’s strength in depth, with manager Mikel Arteta successfully blending youth and experience. Nwaneri’s performance was particularly noteworthy, suggesting a bright future for the Gunners’ Academy graduate.
The result sees Arsenal progress to the next round of the EFL Cup, maintaining their strong start to the 2024/25 season across all competitions. Bolton, despite the scoreline, can take some positives from their goal and overall performance against English Premier League opposition.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
