IT’S FAST EDDIE!
NKETIAH, 17, SCORES 15 SECONDS AFTER COMING ON
IF you don’t believe in fairytales, then this will surely change your mind. By the final whistle the Arsenal fans were chanting ‘Eddie, Eddie, Eddie’. Right now you’ll be racking your brains thinking, ‘Eddie who?’ Eddie Nketiah, that’s who.
Hopefully the 18-year-old goes on to fulfil his potential in the game. But even if he doesn’t, he’ll always have this night. The night he was Arsenal’s hero, the darling of the Emirates Stadium.
In only his second appearance as a senior professional, the youngster scored a dramatic late equaliser with his first touch after coming on as an 85th minute substitute.
And as if that wasn’t romantic enough, Nketiah — who becomes the first Arsenal goalscorer born after Arsene Wenger took over in 1996 — notched Arsenal’s winner in extra time. Utterly breathtaking.
Credit to Norwich, they were excellent. Had they taken their chances, Nketiah’s first goal would have been mere consolation.
But Norwich didn’t stand a chance. This was fate. Destiny. The Emirates Stadium announcer had unintentionally introduced Norwich as arch-rivals Ipswich in the lead-up to kick-off.
The slip of the tongue sparked roars of laughter from the home supporters. But it was Norwich fans who were smiling at the end of the first half.
It took an understrength Arsenal some time to get going, with Alex Iwobi’s long-range effort that dipped narrowly over the bar the best they had to show during the opening 15 minutes.
Norwich, without pulling up any trees, were more than holding their own, Mario Vrancic firing wide from the edge of the box after a positive run through the heart of Arsenal’s defence.
Angus Gunn made his first save of the night in the 20th minute, producing an excellent reflex stop to deny Rob Holding’s bullet header from Theo Walcott’s corner. But that was the best a lacklustre Arsenal had to show for their first-half display.
Indeed, it got much worse as Daniel Farke’s men took a shock 34th-minute lead.
It happened in a flash. Tom Trybull robbing Iwobi in midfield before James Maddison’s through ball found Josh Murphy who nonchalantly chipped over debutant Matt Macey to fire Norwich ahead.
Had Macey not produced a brilliant stop to deny Nelson Oliveira’s low effort five minutes later then Arsenal could have had a steeper second-half hill to climb.
Wenger’s response was to move Jack Wilshere from the left to his preferred central midfield position, with Iwobi replacing the England hopeful on the flank.
Not that the tactical alteration did anything to shake Arsenal out of their malaise. Misplaced pass after misplaced pass — it was all very un-Arsenal.
They had referee Andy Madley to thank for not sending off Mohamed Elneny after the Egyptian brought down Oliveira in the 55th minute when the Canaries striker was clear through on goal.
The visiting bench were incensed when Madley brandished a yellow card. When Farke sees the replays he is unlikely to change his mind. Elneny and Arsenal had got away with one.
Murphy and Vrancic missed three glorious chances for Norwich as the Gunners continued to toil and the fear for Farke was that his side would be punished for their profligacy.
And his fears were realised as Nketiah embarked on a unforgettable night; first equalising in the 85th minute as Norwich failed to deal with Theo Walcott’s corner before heading home a euphoric winner six minutes into extra time. ARSENAL (3-4-2-1): Macey 6.5; Debuchy 6, Elneny 5.5, Holding 6; Nelson 6.5 (NKETIAH 85min, 8), Coquelin 5, Iwobi 5 (Dasilva 105, 6), Maitland-Niles 5.5 (Akpom 70, 6); Walcott 5, Wilshere 5 (Willock 114); Giroud 5. Subs not used: Iliev, Osei-Tutu, Sheaf. Scorer: Nketiah 85, 96. Booked: Elneny, Coquelin, Wilshere, Akpom. Manager: Arsene Wenger 6.5. NORWICH CITY (4-2-3-1): Gunn 7; Pinto 6, Klose 7, Zimmerman 7, Husband 6; Reed 7 (Jerome 101, 6), Trybull 7.5; Vrancic 6.5 (Wildschut 90), Maddison 7 (Hoolahan 90), Murphy 7.5 (Stiepermann 73); Oliveira 6.5. Subs not used: McGovern, Martin, Franke. Scorer: Murphy 34. Booked: Trybull, Husband. Manager: Daniel Farke 6.5. Referee: Andy Madley 7. Attendance: 58,444.