September 24, (THEWILL) — Eberechi Eze opened his Arsenal account with an eighth-minute strike that set the tone for Wednesday evening’s 2-0 Carabao Cup victory over Port Vale at their Stoke-on-Trent ground.
The former Crystal Palace midfielder converted a well-constructed team move after Gabriel Martinelli’s cross was touched on by Myles Lewis-Skelly, giving the English Premier League visitors an early advantage they would never relinquish before more than 16,000 spectators.
Manager Mikel Arteta selected a strong starting XI despite resting key players including Declan Rice, Martín Zubimendi, Viktor Gyökeres, and David Raya.
Bukayo Saka captained the side in his first start since sustaining a hamstring injury against Leeds United over four weeks prior, while Mikel Merino operated in the false nine position in much of the encounter.
Arsenal controlled possession throughout but struggled to convert their dominance into clear-cut opportunities. Eze’s second effort did not arrive until the 36th minute, with Port Vale managing a pair of blocked attempts before the interval.
The League One hosts grew into the contest during the final quarter, with Devante Cole firing narrowly over the crossbar from distance in a moment that briefly concerned visiting goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The introduction of substitutes Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel preceded further changes that saw Rice and Leandro Trossard enter the action.
Gyökeres came close to extending the lead when played through by fellow substitute Max Dowman, only to be denied by defender Cameron Humphreys’ crucial intervention at the vital moment.
Trossard finally provided breathing space four minutes from time, cutting inside from the left flank before firing low into the bottom corner to complete the scoring.
The result sends Arsenal through to the fourth round of the competition, avoiding the upset that saw Grimsby Town eliminate Manchester United in the previous stage of this tournament.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
