Arsenal vs Norwich: Five things we learned as Eddie Nketiah secured an unconvincing win for the Gunners
It took the heroics of the young Gunner to spare his side a major upset
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Your support makes all the difference.Arsenal clinched their place in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup tonight after edging past Championship side Norwich in a 2-1 victory.
Josh Murphy had put the visitors ahead after 34 minutes, dinking the ball past debutant Matt Macey after being threaded through on goal.
Norwich came close to extending their lead in the second half but passed on a number of chances in front of goal.
It took the introduction of Eddie Nketiah to level the score, striking from a corner less than 30 seconds after he'd been brought on.
The game was settled in extra-time, with the youngster heading home from another corner to secure Arsenal victory and spare Arsene Wenger's blushes.
Here are five things we learned:
Arsenal are back...
It's ok. Don't worry all. You can breathe a sigh of relief now. Arsenal have overcome Sunday's blip and are back to their underwhelming best. Indeed, this is the Arsenal side that we've all come to know and love/hate.
For the first 90 minutes of this match, Arsenal put in a display hardly worthy of your local Sunday League side. While Norwich were direct in their play and decisive in Arsenal's final third, the hosts were cumbersome, ponderous in attack and inefficient in possession. Nketiah may have turned Arsenal's fortunes around, clinching a memorable double, but in reality this should have been Norwich's night. In a five-minute spell in the second half Norwich could have quite easily made it 3-0, with Murphy and Mario Vrančić squandering their chances in front of goal. Arsenal may have got the result but this was anything but convincing.
Total disregard for League Cup
Wenger has made it clear from day one that the likes of the League Cup and Europa League would play second-fiddle to Arsenal’s Premier League campaign. As such, it came as no surprise tonight when a completely new starting XI was named from the side that ran out against Everton at the weekend.
The Frenchman’s team selection would have gone largely overlooked had his side cruised past Norwich – except they didn’t. Wenger’s second-string side struggled in embarrassing fashion against the Championship side, with the players showcasing little fight or passion until extra time. The diminished Arsenal crowd similarly reinforced the sense of disregard for the competition - though 9,000 visiting fans served as reminder of what football is all about. A poor show in general.
Wenger's young guns underwhelm
Which brings us to Wenger's young guns. To his credit, the Frenchman has been consistent in awarding first-team opportunities to Arsenal’s next generation in competitions such as the League Cup and Europa League, with the likes of Macey, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Reiss Nelson all starting tonight.
But despite being handed a perfect chance to shine and prove their worth, Arsenal's young starters failed to make their mark at the Emirates. They lacked that ruthless edge required to put Norwich to the sword, with too many poor touches or sloppy passes letting them down. Nelson and Co have been tipped as the next big things but on the back of tonight's performance, that accolade lies with young Eddie.
Murphy’s law
Murphy’s law is defined as thus: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” It’s an adage that has seemingly haunted Arsenal for more than a decade now. As such, it seemed only natural tonight that it would be 22-year-old Josh Murphy who struck first to put his side ahead. Racing through the heart of Arsenal’s defence to meet James Madison’s well-timed bisecting ball, the young Norwich forward lifted his shot past the outstretched Macey to make it 1-0 to Norwich.
Murphy has scored a total of five goals this season, four of which have come in the Carabao Cup - a competition he’s clearly comfortable with. It was a deserved goal and showed what in-form Norwich are capable of. Similarly, it highlighted, perhaps, Arsenal’s unwillingness to take this game as seriously as they should have.
Wilshere misses his big chance
Jack Wilshere has been in the ascendancy in recent weeks, having put in a number of comprehensive performances in Europe and the League Cup. Indeed, he impressed in the win against Red Star Belgrade earlier this month and was rewarded for his efforts with an appearance in the weekend's 5-2 victory over Everton, in which he claimed an assist.
Fans have called for a permanent starting place for the Englishman but tonight Wilshere failed to do himself any favours. The 25-year-old went missing for much of the match, popping up here and there with a trademark dink over the top - that didn't pay off - or an ill-timed tackle. If he's going to stand any chance of returning to Wenger's main XI he needs to start delivering on a consistent basis.
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