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In recent years, only Manchester City have treated the Carabao Cup as a major competition. However, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta looks set to follow in the footsteps of his mentor by using this competition to make a statement. As for Brendan Rodgers, he’s still searching for his first trophy as Leicester City manager and the Carabao Cup offered him his best opportunity yet.
After a tightly contested first half, Mikel Arteta’s men took the lead in scruffy fashion as Christian Fuchs fumbled the ball into his own net. The lead put Arsenal firmly in the ascendancy and they rounded off a fine-tuned performance with an Eddie Nketiah tap-in in added time. The win sees Arsenal progress to the fourth round where they will face the winners of the game between Lincoln City and Liverpool.
Here are five talking points from Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Leicester City.
#5 Reiss Nelson’s chance
Reports in the past few days suggested that the Gunners are looking to send Reiss Nelson out on loan this summer. With Willian, Nicolas Pepe &and Bukayo Saka all ahead of him at right wing, it is tough to see where the 20-year-old could get minutes this season.
Mikel Arteta himself said that the youngster had been training well and that he had to be ready when an opportunity arose. Against Leicester City, Nelson got his chance to show the boss his worth.
The youngster looked bright and sharp in his touches, often showcasing blistering pace and tidy touches. In his display, the 20-year-old completed 93.5% of his passes, attempted 2 shots, completed 2 dribbles and created 1 chance.
#4 Leicester City make 11 changes against Arsenal
Based on the team Brendan Rodgers put out against Arsenal, it’s clear where Leicester’s priorities lie. The Foxes boss made 11 changes from the team that beat Burnley 4-2 on the weekend.
Rare starts were given to the likes of Christian Fuchs, Daniel Amartey, Danny Ward and Luke Thomas. Rodgers used this tie as an opportunity to give fringe players a runout and see if they could challenge for first-team places. Unfortunately, none of them gave Rodgers any kind of selection headache.
Leicester had 49% possession, 2 shots on target and only 1 corner kick in a game where they created minimal clear-cut chances. Arsenal also made a lot of changes, seven from their win against West Ham, meaning they also had a lot of fringe players involved but still managed to win.
#3 Nicolas Pepe starts for Arsenal
It has become evidently clear that Mikel Arteta sees Willian as his first choice right winger in the Arsenal starting XI. This decision does not look too good on Nicolas Pepe, who was brought into the team for a huge fee, and is still struggling to find his feet in England. Tonight, the Ivorian got his first start of the season, in the Carabao Cup. Did he take his opportunity? Kind of.
This may not have been the 25-year-old’s best game in an Arsenal shirt, but in the decisive moment of the game, it was he that helped break the deadlock. In one of the rare moments that he got in behind Leicester’s left-hand side, Pepe’s persistence and good fortune eventually bundled the ball into the net off Christian Fuchs.
In a rare start for the winger, Pepe had 55 touches of the ball, provided 6 crosses, won 3 duels and created 1 chance in a performance that showed promising signs.
#2 The return of James Maddison
Leicester City fans have not seen one of their prized assets, James Maddison, on the pitch since the end of last season. Brendan Rodgers played Maddison against an in-form Arsenal side in his favoured #10 role. The 23-year-old was tasked with being the team’s main creative outlet.
In a performance that showed the fans glimpses of his quality, the midfielder had 50 touches of the ball, attempted 4 shots on goal, completed 1 dribble and hit the woodwork. He was not at his best, but Rodgers will be happy knowing his prized creator is back to full fitness.
#1 Eddie Nketiah’s form continues
Mikel Arteta has made it clear that Eddie Nketiah will get an opportunity to shine this season. There is something the Spaniard sees in the 21-year-old that Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa didn’t, and he has decided to make him a backup option to Alexandre Lacazette. And if he continues in this vein of form, Nketiah may start more games in the season.
Against an experienced old head in Leicester City's Wes Morgan, the youngster gave him the run-around. His movement was good, his holdup play was assertive and tenacity off the ball was unmatched. All Arteta demands of the youngster is hard work and good on the ball decisions, two things he displayed tonight.
In an accomplished attacking performance, the Arsenal striker had 33 touches of the ball, completed 14 passes, won 3 duels, made 1 tackle, and scored the deciding goal. That’s two in two for the 21-year-old as he continues to blossom at exactly the right time for the Gunners.
