Arsenal vs Sunderland LIVE: Carabao Cup result, final score and reaction
Relive all the reaction as the Gunners advanced to the Carabao Cup semi-finals
A first senior hat-trick for Eddie Nketiah guided Arsenal to a comfortable victory over Sunderland and into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
The back-up striker has reportedly turned down a new deal at the Emirates Stadium and is out of contract in the summer but shone in a 5-1 win which also saw Charlie Patino score on his first-team debut.
Nketiah opened the scoring before Nicolas Pepe doubled the lead, while the in-form Nathan Broadhead scored his sixth goal in six games to pull one back for the Black Cats before the break.
Any threat of a shock was extinguished within 13 minutes of the second half as Nketiah provided two smart finishes and Patino came off the bench to add the gloss with a late fifth. Relive all the reaction from the Emirates:
Eddie Nketiah reignites his Arsenal flame with poacher’s hat-trick against Sunderland
Eddie Nketiah’s Arsenal career seemed destined to burn to a slow end this season, fading on the peripheries as his contract peters out and Gabriel Martinelli bursts into the limelight, but tonight at the very least reignited the flame.
The 22-year-old might never have established himself as a reliable starter in Mikel Arteta’s starting eleven, but he has always proven to be an artful and insatiable poacher, as capable of bundling home the ball with an instinctive lunge as a sublime flick.
He evidenced both in abundance against Sunderland as Arsenal cruised to a 5-1 victory in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. Having been afforded just 38 minutes in the Premier League this season - the cause and consequence of his desire to leave his boyhood club in search of more regular football - it would have been understandable if Nketiah’s rhythm was ever so slightly out of sync.
Instead, a hat-trick against an admittedly inferior but no less determined Sunderland side provided the perfect exhibition and reminder of Nketiah’s full repertoire.
Eddie Nketiah reignites his Arsenal flame with poacher’s hat-trick against Sunderland
The England U21 international has been used sparingly by Mikel Arteta and seemed set to leave on a free transfer this summer, but a brilliant performance will only illuminate the pathway
Reaction from Nketiah
Arsenal’s matchwinner Eddie Nketiah spoke to Sky Sports after the game and spoke about his hat-trick and whether he wants to stay at the Emirates. He said:
Great feeling. I want to say big thanks to my team-mates for some really good assists. I just had to be in the right place. I scored a similar goal [to his third] a couple of rounds ago.
“It’s nice to get that reaction. I’m happy we can go to the next round and get a few goals. We could have played a lot better in the first half but we improved in the second half and more goals came.
“It was a great team display.
“This competition is the place I’ve been getting starts. I’ll do my best whenever I’m asked to play. I’m desperate to play football. All I can do is keep working hard. It’ll sort itself out. I’m just eager to play football. That’s my main ambition. As long as I play for Arsenal I’ll give my all.”
Arsenal’s best goalscorer?
Eddie Nketiah has netted five goals in six games this season for Arsenal with all of them coming in three Carabao Cup games. In this competition he’s now scored 10 times in nine games with seven of those goals coming at the Emirates stadium.
Carabao Cup quarter-finals
Arsenal are the first team into the Carabao Cup semi-finals but who will be joining them there?
The final three quarter-finals take place tomorrow with all the games kicking off at 7:45pm and the semi-final draw coming after those matches.
What are those games?
Brentford vs Chelsea,
Liverpool vs Leicester City,
Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United.
Arsenal 5 - 1 Sunderland
Not a bad senior debut for Charlie Patino.
Full-time: Arsenal 5 - 1 Sunderland
90+3 mins: A great night for Arsenal who become the first team to reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals. Sunderland were resilient in the first half but Arsenal stepped it up in the second. Eddie Nketiah bagged a hat-trick and Charlie Patino scored on his senior debut as Arsenal sweep Sunderland aside in the league cup.
GOAL! Arsenal 5 - 1 Sunderland (Patino, 90+1)⚽️
90+1 mins: A goal on debut! Martinelli plays the ball inside from the left wing and gives it to Xhaka. He sends a diagonal ball over to Pepe who carries it into the box. Patino darts towards the six-yard box and meets Pepe’s pass just in time to poke it wide of the goalkeeper and into the back of the net! Arsenal have five and 18-year-old Charlie Patino scores his first senior goal for the Gunners!
Arsenal 4 - 1 Sunderland
88 mins: Chance! Martinelli recovers a the ball after a clearance from Sunderland and chests it down to Xhaka. He flicks a pass into the box for Tavares who brings it under control and weaves around Wright before clasting a left-footed shot well over the crossbar!
Arsenal 4 - 1 Sunderland
86 mins: Penalty shout! Martinelli brings the ball into the box from the left and slides in a pass for Nketiah. Doyle comes across and seems to clip the Arsenal striker who goes down as the ball rolls out of play.
The referee takes a moment to make the decision and seems to point to the penalty spot before signalling that it is in fact a goalkick.
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