Forgotten Arsenal boost from Brighton win revealed as Mikel Arteta prepares for six-player return

The Arsenal academy graduates who graced the Emirates Stadium pitch on Wednesday night, some for the first time from the opening minute, rightfully took the plaudits and the headlines.

Max Dowman, Andre Harriman-Annous, Ethan Nwaneri, and Myles Lewis-Skelly should be commended for their efforts. Even the more senior Bukayo Saka was critical in the clash, scoring the goal that effectively killed the game.

Mikel Arteta trusted his players to continue onward after the half-time whistle, even when, at that stage, Brighton were certainly the better side and should have taken a lead. The Spaniard was clear in his thoughts that

“100 per cent,” Arteta said when askedabout showing faith to the eleven that started the match. “Especially because it [had] nothing to do with them, if not, it was something to do more with all the stuff that we could have done better, and I think in the second half they continue.

“It's a shame that Andre didn't take the chance they had 1v1 because it would have been an incredible moment for him, but overall very positive.”

It would indeed have been an amazing moment but the debut alone is enough, and his involvement in the second goal to someone who is sure to be a role model to him in Saka, who has trodden this path before, will be joyful enough.

For Dowman, however, it was perhaps a different type of night. Arteta provided great insight into the moment he told the 15-year-old that he would be making his first start; it is perhaps the perfect metaphor for the display from him that was witnessed.

“A tiny smile, that's what you get with him,” Arteta said. “For him, everything is natural, for him, everything is okay, it's the way he plays.

“I think that's the secret, that he doesn't make a big fuss of it, he just does what he does best, which is to play football, to play football with a lot of courage and determination, and today again he's shown some incredible skill, some capacity to run past players at that level in the Premier League at 15. It's something definitely special.”

He was a nightmare for Maxim De Cuyper and Olivier Boscagli, who resorted in some cases to leaving a late foot or leg into their challenges, frustrated by how simply they were beaten by someone around a decade younger than them.

Despite all this brilliance, however, this is not what perhaps could be a different highlight that should be brought into the light. Set-pieces have taken such a headline act but on Wednesday their threat was nowhere to be found.

In fact, Brighton arguably should have taken the lead when Jan Paul van Hecke headed a close-range header from a corner kick wide of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s goal. The Spaniard, just to take a quick tangent in his direction, is worthy of great praise for another clean sheet and a great performance when tested in multiple dangerous situations.

However, I digress, the two goals Arsenal scored were both inventive and impressive in their creation. Mikel Merino was at the centre of that applause for his brilliant back-heel, which I still struggle to work out how he knew both where Lewis-Skelly would be and how the ball would reach the supposedly intended target.

Nwaneri was bright throughout but the finish has been perhaps lacking from the Gunners in recent weeks besides Eberechi Eze’s goal, but that too was from a set-piece. A midfielder storming the box and getting on the end of a chance.

It harked back in some ways to the Hale End pair’s combination at PSV. There is certainly a connection there that they can recognise each other’s positioning.

The second goal comes from a brilliant Jurrien Timber run. Ben White had made some similar drives, but not with the success of the Dutchman in this instance, and his pass to Harriman-Annous was rather special.

Arsenal ended the game with fewer shots than their opponents and having conceded an uncharacteristic six shots on their own goal. Granted many changes were made but they had to ride their luck to some degree.

For the second season in a row, they have drawn Crystal Palace at home in the quarter-final of the League Cup. Schedule-dependent, the fixture is due to be played in December.

Interestingly, the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli, who both missed this game, will be expected to return by then. Not only that, however, but Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, and Noni Madueke are all fighting themselves to return for the end of the year – some much sooner than that.

It could be, therefore, that Arteta has the chance to call on even more high-profile options when rotating when the quarter-final arrives. Until then, the focus returns to the Premier League and trying to translate some of this open-play flair to their other competitions.