Eberechi Eze scored his first goal for Arsenal as they advanced to the last 16 of the Carabao Cup by beating League One side Port Vale.
The 27-year-old, signed from Crystal Palace over the summer, scored on eight minutes after a wonderful team move to put Mikel Arteta’s side ahead before substitute Leandro Trossard added the second late on.
There were also valuable minutes for several players, including Bukayo Saka and Ben White, though Saka did worryingly go down after a strong challenge before getting to his feet and later being taken off for 15-year-old Max Dowman.
Arsenal will host Brighton in the last-16 in the week commencing October 27.
Here, Art de Roche breaks down the action.
Eze’s special first goal and a taste of what Arsenal have been missing
Arsenal were always going to dominate possession against their third-tier hosts. What mattered more was how they used the ball. With that in mind, Eze’s first goal for the club provided a taste of the ingenuity that Arteta’s side have been craving in the final third for some time.
Hitting Port Vale with waves of attacks, Arsenal changed the tempo at the right time after eight minutes.
Gabriel Martinelli stayed wide to give Ethan Nwaneri a free pass on the left. Myles Lewis-Skelly then did well to understand the situation and simply flick the ball into Eze’s path.
Eze finished off a lovely move (Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images)
As for Eze, his awareness and ability to open his body up to change the angle of the shot at the last second were special. No matter the opposition, details like that make a difference.
Playing in a more central position again after his assist against Manchester City on Sunday, it was encouraging to see him break a low block with the help of Martinelli and Lewis-Skelly and their quick-paced play.
Not everything Eze tried came off, but that’s the nature of being a creative midfielder.
Were Saka’s minutes worth the risk?
If there was a moment to demonstrate the balancing act Arteta has on his hands right now, it came early in the second half when Saka was caught late by the home side’s Rhys Walters.
The 24-year-old was fine to carry on, but with the injuries both he and Arsenal more generally have suffered of late, a sharp intake of breath would only have been the natural reaction of anyone connected to the north London club.
While opinions may vary on Saka’s usage, in his pre-match press conference, Arteta said: “He (Saka) needs minutes, and he’s demanding that as well.
Saka was down after a strong challenge against Port Vale (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
“Obviously, when he’s been out for a while, you just need to get in the rhythm. You need to get that confidence on the pitch and repeat actions and exposure. And we will do that, obviously, gradually, because he’s been out for a while.”
Port Vale’s defenders stayed incredibly tight to Saka during his time on the pitch, sometimes dragging his arm back for seconds at a time.
He may expect similar treatment away to Newcastle United in the league this weekend, so a start before that trip was necessary, but bringing him off just after the hour tonight was equally as important.
How much does the Carabao Cup matter to Arsenal and Arteta?
Arteta’s team selection today demonstrated a few reasons why these Carabao Cup matches will be important for the Arsenal manager.
If the draw is favourable, and it’s now Brighton & Hove Albion at home next month in round four, these ties will allow him to experiment with different ideas, such as using Eze and Nwaneri as dual-central midfielders. The competition allows him to give minutes to those who need them, like Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Norgaard on this occasion, alongside Saka and White. It also provides an opportunity to win silverware early, with the final coming in March, though they’d have to reach the semis in January before the possibility of that will feel real.
All these factors mean that no game should go to waste for Arteta this season. There should always be aspects of his team to be worked on, even if these matches aren’t as glamorous as the Champions League nights in Europe.
For now, that will help Arsenal in the short term. In the long term, that serious approach to every game should help them go far across all competitions and possibly see Arsenal lift a trophy that could open the door to more honours.
What Arteta said?
When asked if it was always the intention to give Saka an hour, Arteta said in his post-match press conference: “It was planned. Sixty minutes was the maximum.”
On Eze playing as the left No 8, Arteta said: “He played very centrally against a team that is 5-4-1, super compact and so it’s not easy to find the spaces. But he’s very capable, as you saw with the goal and three or four other actions.
“He needs to still play maybe more time with those guys to understand the timings, especially with things that he needs to do, and then actions like that will be more consistent and better for us. In general, very good.
“Yes. Probably (Arsenal’s most versatile attacker). At the end, what we want to do with him is to get him into the positions and the spaces when he can create his magic moments, sometimes that will be from the wide areas, sometimes that will be from the right or left in relation to the opposition.”
What next for Arsenal?
Sunday, September 28: Newcastle United (Away), Premier League, 4.30pm UK, 11.30am ET
(Top photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images)