15-year-old makes debut for Arsenal in easy win at Brentford
15-year-old makes debut for Arsenal in easy win at Brentford: In Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Brentford, Arsenal reclaimed first place in the Premier League. Thanks in large part to the debut of Ethan Nwaneri, a fifteen-year-old substitute who set a record by becoming the youngest player in league history.
Goals from William Saliba and Gabriel Jesus gave Mikel Arteta’s team a 2-0 lead at the break before Fabio Vieira clinched the win in the 54th minute.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Nwaneri, who is 15 years and 181 days old, replaced Vieira. He was the first player under 16 to appear in the competition.
League
Harvey Elliott, currently of Liverpool, made his Premier League debut for Fulham when he was 16 years and 38 days old, making him the youngest player to ever appear in the league.
Despite suffering their first loss of the season in their previous match, Arsenal dominated the match from the opening whistle and never trailed.
Saliba opened the scoring for the visitors in the 17th minute as he rose above his defender to head an angled corner from Bukayo Saka in off the far post.
Eleven minutes later, Gabriel Jesus doubled Arsenal’s lead when Grant Xhaka’s brilliantly floated left-wing cross was met with a thunderous header.
A magnificent goal from outside the box by Portuguese midfielder Fabio Vieira, which rattled in off the post, put the game beyond Brentford in the fourth minute after the break.
Statements
Our mindset has shifted for the new season. “We kept going and we’re working like we play and we have a class with the players that can make a difference,” Xhaka, a midfielder for Arsenal, said.
“More than delighted we are in a good direction, but a long way to go,” he continued.
With 18 points after 7 games, Arsenal leads defending champions Manchester City by 1 and North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur by 2.
Despite manager Thomas Frank’s claim that Brentford had fallen to “real title contenders,” the team is currently ninth with nine points after this loss.
“We were beaten 3-0 by the Premier League’s best team. That they are a great team is something I’ve said before. If you want to win or get something out of a team (who are) flying, you cannot concede the first from a set piece and then the second one,” he added. “I think we did very well, not 10 out of 10 but.”
“We lost the game; I hate losing; but, you can’t quarrel with them being at the top of the table; they’ve done brilliantly. Judging on the caliber, they are undoubtedly candidates for the crown.
Neal Maupay delivers for Everton
Everton has struggled to start the season, and the lack of offensive production (4 goals in 6 games) may be directly attributed to the absence of injured striker Dominic Calwert-Lewin.
Acquiring in the Heat of Summer Lampard’s squad needed a win badly, and Neal Maupay delivered with his first goal for Everton in a match against West Ham.
The goal, scored by the Frenchman in the 53rd minute after receiving a cross from Alex Iwobi on the outskirts of the box, was nicely taken. The Frenchman used his initial touch to set himself up for a volley that sneaked inside the near post.
A victory that long overdue, as Lampard put it. We’ve been tough to beat as of late, but we haven’t been scoring goals like we did today.
The victory moved Everton up to 13th place with seven points, while West Ham dropped to 18th place with four points and has only scored three goals in the league this season.