17yo Super Eagles-eligible attacking midfielder dazzles on full Premier League debut for Arsenal

Super Eagles-eligible attacking midfielder, Ethan Nwaneri was handed his full Premier League debut in Arsenal's 3-1 win over Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Wednesday evening, having been named in the Gunners' starting line-up for the clash.

The 17-year-old was effective on the ball and created problems with his passing and movement, providing the crosses for both the second and third goals netted by the Gunners. 

The teenager had featured in 10 league games this term before today's clash, but none of them has been as a starter and has been an unused substitute on eight occasions.

With injuries and absences of some key players, most notably Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, Mikel Arteta decided to hand Nwaneri his first league start.

He was deployed as a right winger, with Gabriel Martinelli playing on the opposite flank while Gabriel Jesus led the attack.

Bryan Mbeumo gave Brentford the lead in the 13th minute, drilling the ball into the bottom right corner after collecting a nice pass from Mikkel Damsgaard.

Jesus restored parity for the Gunners with a header from a rebound in the 29th minute, and Mikel Merino gave them the lead five minutes after the start of the second half.

Martinelli gave the North London side a two-goal cushion in the 53rd minute, powering the ball home after a rebound fell to him.

Nwaneri was taken off in the 78th minute and was replaced by Leandro Trossard as Arteta had to introduce fresh legs to keep Arsenal's healthy lead.

The Hale End Academy graduate has now made 17 appearances across all competitions and has registered four goals.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

Photo Credit: arsenal.com

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