Mikel Arteta has showered praise on Arsenal’s young players, Max Dowman and Andre Harriman-Annous, after their impressive display in the EFL Cup.
Arsenal advanced to the quarter-finals of the competition after a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.
It was a strong performance from a side that featured several changes from the Premier League team that recently defeated Crystal Palace.
The Gunners took charge of the game in the second half, with Ethan Nwaneri opening the scoring before Bukayo Saka sealed the win with a composed finish.
Both goals came as a result of Arsenal’s patient build-up and sharp attacking play.
Arteta made ten changes to his usual starting lineup for this fixture. Only Eberechi Eze retained his place from the previous league game, as the manager rotated heavily to give opportunities to younger players.
Among the new faces were academy talents Harriman-Annous and Dowman, who both made their first starts for the senior team.
Their inclusion was one of the biggest talking points before the match, and they lived up to expectations with calm and confident performances.
Arteta full of pride after victory
After the game, Arteta expressed delight with his team’s display and praised the youngsters for handling the pressure of the occasion.
“A beautiful evening for many reasons,” Arteta said. “We are in the quarterfinals of the competition. We changed a lot of players today.
We played players I never played before together against a very strong Premier League team.”
The manager also spoke about how proud he was of the debutants and their contribution to the win.
“We had two debuts as a starter with Max and with Andre as well – I think everybody feels very, very proud of what they’ve done, the way they have responded to this huge challenge at their age and the fact that we won the game.”
The victory ensured Arsenal’s progress into the last eight of the EFL Cup, marking another step forward for the team’s younger generation.
Arteta and his players will now turn their attention back to the Premier League. The Gunners will travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley as they continue their chase at the top of the table.
