Arsenal duo shine as Mikel Arteta left delighted in emphatic Bolton Carabao Cup win

Arsenal have sealed their spot in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a comfortable 5-1 victory over League One Bolton.

Declan Rice put the Gunners ahead in the 16th minute before highly-rated teenager Ethan Nwaneri netted a brace either side of half-time.

Bolton pulled one back through Aaron Collins but Raheem Sterling put the game to bed with just under 30 minutes remainng. Kai Havertz then wrapped up proceedings in thr 77th minute with a close-range finish.

Arsenal have joined the likes of Man City, Utd, Chelsea and Tottenham in the hat for the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, with the draw taking place shortly. Express Sport has taken a look at some of the biggest talking points…

YOUNGSTERS SHINE ON FULL DEBUT

It was a special day at the Emirates, with four teenagers making their full debut in 16-year-old goalkeeper Jack Porter, Josh Nichols, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri. The quartet hugely impressed but it was the latter duo’s displays that will have especially got Arsenal fans talking.

Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri have made brief appearances in the first-team already with the duo on the cusp of breaking through – emerging as the standout talents in the Gunners academy. But tonight, they proved to Mikel Arteta that they’re more than ready to play their part.

The duo appeared very confident on the ball, with Nwaneri looking extremely composed in the middle of the park while scoring a memorable double at the Emirates. Meanwhile, Lewis-Skelly produced an exquisite pass to put Raheem Sterling through on goal, who cut the ball across the box for Nwaneri to slot home Arsenal’s second.

STERLING LOOKS SHARP DOWN THE LEFT

After a fairly subdued start, Sterling’s impact on the game started to grow as the first-half went on. The on-loan Chelsea star continued to prove a threat down the left, and wasn’t afraid to take his man on, in contrasting fashion to Gabriel Martinelli – who likes to cut back inside.

And his darting run down the left unlocked Bolton’s defence in the build-up to Arsenal’s second of the night. His performance was capped off with his first goal for the club, poking home from yards out after Bukayo Saka’s stinging effort wasn’t dealt with properly by Bolton keeper Luke Southwood.

ARTETA BREATHES A SIGH OF RELIEF

While he handed four full debuts to teenagers, Arteta took a bit of a gamble by playing Declan Rice and Saka from the start. Arsenal fans were left fearing injuries to key players ahead of this weekend’s Premier League encounter against Leicester.

But fortunately, the duo were unscathed and Arteta’s risk paid off as the Gunners cruised into the fourth round while allowing some of his star players to maintain their sharpness.