Arsenal cruised to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a dominant 5-1 victory over Bolton at the Emirates Stadium.
Ethan Nwaneri, Declan Rice, Raheem Sterling, and Kai Havertz all found the back of the net to put on a dazzling display for the home crowd, following a solid defensive performance in Manchester over the weekend.
Continue reading to uncover the highlights of Mikel Arteta’s team under the floodlights.
Match Summary
Arsenal started brightly in North London, with Declan Rice opening the scoring just 16 minutes into the game.
Bolton’s defensive weaknesses were exposed, allowing Rice to capitalize on a loose ball at the edge of the box and bury it into the bottom corner to calm any early nerves at the Emirates.
The Gunners continued to dominate and soon doubled their lead through young talent Nwaneri.
Raheem Sterling, making his debut as a starter, showcased his skills by evading Bolton defenders and delivering a precise cross for Nwaneri to tap in from close range in the 37th minute.
Despite Bolton’s efforts, Arsenal maintained control and entered halftime with a comfortable 2-0 advantage.
In the second half, Arsenal wasted no time in extending their lead.
Just four minutes after the break, Nwaneri bagged his second goal to make it 3-0, courtesy of more defensive errors from Bolton.
Although Collins pulled one back for Bolton in the 53rd minute, Arsenal quickly responded with Sterling netting his first goal for the club in the 64th minute.
As the scoreline stood at 4-1, Mikel Arteta made several substitutions to give youngsters like Ismael Kabia and Maldini Kacurri some valuable playing time.
But the Gunners weren’t done yet, as Kai Havertz sealed the victory with a goal in the 77th minute after Gabriel Jesus’s initial shot was saved by Southwood.
Bolton fought bravely, but Arsenal’s quality was too much to handle as they comfortably progressed to the next round of the competition.