Portvale 0-2 Arsenal: Gunners pass their League 1 opponents and reach the fourth round of the Carabao Cup thanks to Ebekieze’s early goal and a late strike from Leandro Toro Sard
Eberechi Eze is so versatile that arriving at Arsenal this summer left too many options for Mikel Arteta to consider. However, the freedom of the Carabao Cup tie with Portvale allowed the Gunners boss to try something different and get rewarded.
After signing a £67.5 million contract from Crystal Palace last month, Eze has generally appeared on the left. Arsenal settled in a 4-3-3 formation, Arteta favored a solid midfield 3, and Eze was forced to manipulate his left flank, especially as Captain Martin Odegard was unavailable.
Arteta bristled after a 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Sunday when his decision to start Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi at midfield were politely questioned. “No, I don’t have time for that,” he replied honestly. Pushing further he added:
Arsenal’s managers are clearly aware of the handbreak-on recognition that some supporters have in big games. There’s another big game against Newcastle at St James Park on Sunday, as he was drawn alongside City, but Wednesday night was another easy thing. And that meant a different approach.
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Arteta frowned upon fans by naming a strong lineup against the team sitting 19th in League One with Buka Yosaka’s presence after frowning from a hamstring injury. With Victor Gyoker on the bench, it was Merino who reassessed his role as a false No. 9, who was given Eze and Ethan Nuwaneri’s creative role as No. 8 in the middle.
This is a position where many people are screaming for Eze to be given, and he made the most of it and cut his first Arsenal goal early on. Nuwaneri’s pass sent the ball big for Gabriel Martinelli. Gabriel Martinelli’s square pass was inspired by a touch from Miles Lewis Skelly for Eze to place in the bottom corner.
Eze should have gone 2-0 late in the first half, when played on Martinelli’s goal, but his efforts were saved by Vale goalkeeper Joe Gauci. Eze had a license to advance to the box as Christian Norgaard started his first Arsenal at the roots of the midfield against a limited opponent.
Speaking after the Man City draw, where Eze played a killer pass for Martinelli’s 93rd minute goal, Arteta hinted at the challenge of finding Eze’s best position. “When he plays Shifty from the left, whether he’s a midfielder attacker or a winger who also comes to that space, he’s a very, very efficient and very creative person,” he said. “That’s why we bought him. That’s why we use him in a different space.”
To bail out Arsenal fans, Saka retreated to give 16-year-old Max Douman a chance to shine, but Ben White was replaced by Gabriel Magalges, meaning Christian Mosquera would switch to the right back to show his own versatility.
Douman should have returned an assist, but Gyoker spent too much time on his shot after being played and allowing him to block. It was another “finisher” of Arteta’s “finisher” that made the game safe.
It meant getting a glimpse into the work that was finished, the tank’s minutes, and potentially the future, Arteta unleashed his creative players from the central position.
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