It wasn’t a classic, but Arsenal did what they had to in their League Cup clash against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night.
Mikel Arteta named a significantly changed team to the one that beat Crystal Palace, and still ran out 2-0 winners, and are now set to face the Eagles again in the quarter-finals.
With all that said, while it wasn’t the most thrilling of games, the Gunners did play reasonably well, and aside from a few moments early on, were far and away the better team.
Moreover, there were a few starters who made a strong case for staying in the side, including two gems who are looking like the new Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.
Arsenal's standout performers vs Brighton
One player who should not be in the team for Burnley this weekend, but still made a good impression on Wednesday night, was Andre Harriman-Annous.
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The academy gem was handed his first senior start for the side, and while he didn’t score a goal, he was a handful all night and made several intelligent runs.
Moreover, it was his shot that led to Saka scoring his goal and sealing the deal for the side, so even though he should not play at the weekend, the 17-year-old is someone to keep an eye on.
A youngster who does deserve to make it into the travelling squad for Saturday is, of course, Max Dowman.
The “certified worldie of a talent,” as dubbed by analyst Rohan Jivan, was utterly incredible in his first senior start, and the Seagulls had no option but to double- and triple-team him when he had the ball, he was so dangerous.
Finally, even though they lacked some synergy in the first half, the entire backline came out of the game looking good, with the centre-back pairing of Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie looking particularly sturdy.
With all that said, there was another duo who did themselves proud, a duo who could be the new Saka and Smith Rowe.
Arsenal's new Saka and Smith Rowe
With Dowman already mentioned, it will come as no surprise that the two youngsters who could be Arsenal’s new Smith Rowe and Saka are, of course, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Now, this doesn’t mean the pair exactly mirror the former Hale Enders, nor does it mean they’ll follow their exact footsteps, especially as injuries unfortunately saw Smith Rowe left behind by the project.
However, like the duo that came before them, the two 18-year-olds are of the same academy cohort and, most importantly, play incredibly well together.
For example, it was the Gunners’ exciting young left-back that provided the assist for Nwaneri to open the scoring midway through the second half.
Moreover, while they only combined for a single goal, there were other moments in the game in which the “fearless” Lewis-Skelly, as dubbed by Declan Rice, charged into the middle of the park and played some quick passes with his “phenomenal” teammate, as dubbed by former professional Stephen Warnock.
Games
28
Minutes
765′
Points per Game
2.14
Goals
2
Including Wednesday night’s game, the pair have now made 28 senior appearances together, totalling 765 minutes, in which they’ve combined for two goals and averaged 2.14 points per game.
Finally, on top of their connection on the pitch, the youngsters have made it clear in numerous interviews that they are incredibly close friends, which can surely only improve their in-game synergy.
Ultimately, it’s still early in their careers, but it looks like Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly could be Arsenal’s new Saka and Smith Rowe.