Arsenal’s teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri delivered a stellar performance against Brighton at the Amex Stadium, scoring his second Premier League goal of the season.
However, the 17-year-old’s night ended prematurely as he failed to reappear for the second half, leaving Arsenal to grapple with yet another injury concern.
Nwaneri, who had impressed in Arsenal’s New Year’s Day victory over Brentford, was handed another start by Mikel Arteta, seemingly stepping up as a temporary solution to the void left by Bukayo Saka’s absence.
The youngster repaid his manager’s faith early in the game, netting a beautiful goal that underscored his growing potential.
Despite his bright start, Nwaneri was substituted at halftime. Initially, fans speculated it was a precautionary move due to his earlier booking for time-wasting.
Arteta, however, later clarified the real reason, revealing the player had suffered a muscular injury.“Really bad news,” said Arteta. “We’ve lost him to a muscular issue, and we had no choice but to take him off.”
Nwaneri’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Arsenal. The Gunners had a golden opportunity to narrow the gap with league leaders Liverpool, but a lackluster second-half performance saw them settle for just one point. A disjointed display and a lack of control in key moments left Arteta frustrated.
“We wanted to win, but Brighton is a tough team to face,” Arteta admitted post-match. “We started well, scored a great goal, and controlled the first half.
However, in the second half, we didn’t dominate enough to create meaningful opportunities. Defensively, we held up, but transitions like the one involving Minteh hurt us.”
Arteta dismissed fatigue as a factor but pointed to poor execution in ball possession as the main issue. “It’s not about tired legs,” he emphasized. “It’s about doing the simple things right. We must dominate possession in the right areas to create chances and control the game.”
Arsenal now face the challenge of managing without Nwaneri, who has been a bright spot with five goals this season. The team remains three points behind Liverpool, having played two games more, as they prepare for a critical showdown between Manchester United and the league leaders on Sunday.
arteta ruining another young talent ahead of the next phase.