Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
LEAGUE CUP GUNNERS GET EDS TOGETHER
Nketiah rescues Arsenal late on then wins it with extra time strike
EDDIE NKETIAH – remember the name.
Arsenal fans certainly will after he went from teenage hopeful to toast of the Emirates in just over 10 minutes against Norwich.
Sub Nketiah, 18, scored the equaliser with his fairy tale first touch just 15 seconds after coming on in the 85th minute and then completed his incredible rescue act with the winner six minutes into extra time.
By then, his every touch was already being greeted by cries of “Eddie, Eddie”.
Home debuts do not come much better than this one enjoyed by Nketiah – the first Arsenal scorer born after Arsene Wenger took over as boss in 1996 – who showed just why the Gunners have such high hopes for him. Wenger might have felt tempted to join in the serenading of the prolific England Under-19 hotshot whose brace earned Arsenal a quarter-final place.
His heroics saved the Gunners from an embarrassing first League Cup defeat to lower-league opposition since 1983 and kept Wenger’s hopes of finally completing his set of domestic trophies alive.
Norwich arrived having not lost for over two months and had few problems keeping their lacklustre hosts at bay.
Canaries keeper Angus Gunn – son of Norwich legend Bryan – was seriously tested just once, a spectacular tip-over save to keep out Rob Holding’s header from Theo Walcott’s corner.
From the first chance the Canaries created, they carved Arsenal apart and scored. Alex Iwobi was robbed in midfield by Tom Trybull and Norwich’s James Maddison was quickest to react to the loose ball.
With both Mohamed
Elneny and Mathieu Debuchy stranded, he slotted the ball through the gap and
Josh Murphy (above) raced clear to coolly chip Arsenal’s debutant keeper Matt Macey in the 34th minute. Giant 6ft 7in Macey then needed every inch of his frame to fly to his left and prevent Nelson Oliveira curling in a second five minutes later. Arsenal hearts were in mouths again when Elneny brought down Oliveira who was racing clear, but the Egypt star had a huge escape when referee Andy Madley only produced a yellow card.
The lively Murphy was causing plenty of problems and headed another chance straight at Macey, before bursting past Elneny and firing in a low cross that the Gunners keeper flew out to stop reaching Oliveira.
Murphy and Mario Vrancic left the door open for Arsenal by blowing huge chances.
And they were punished when Nketiah turned in Francis Coquelin’s flick on with his first touch, before grabbing his equally dramatic winner.
But Daniel Farke’s Norwich will be kicking themselves that Nketiah even had the chance to be the hero.
They should have been out of sight long before he stepped on to the pitch and announced himself with an exciting cameo that he and everyone inside the Emirates will never forget.