Arsenal booked their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a comfortable 2–0 win over Brighton at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
Teenager Ethan Nwaneri opened the scoring in the 57th minute, before Bukayo Saka sealed the victory with a second goal late in the game.
Mikel Arteta’s side, which combined young talents with senior players, started slowly as Brighton pressed high and created early chances. Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga made key saves to deny Georginio Rutter and Maxim De Cuyper, keeping the game level.
After soaking up pressure, Arsenal settled into their rhythm. Nwaneri, 17, calmly slotted home a low pass from Myles Lewis-Skelly to give the Gunners the lead.
The goal boosted Arsenal’s confidence, and they dominated possession for most of the second half. Substitute Saka made it 2–0 in the 76th minute, reacting quickly to a rebound to double the advantage and send the home fans wild.
Arteta introduced Declan Rice, Gabriel, Jurrien Timber, and Saka in the second half to maintain control as Brighton pushed for a comeback.
Brighton had late chances through Stefanos Tzimas and Yankuba Minteh, but Kepa stayed alert to secure his clean sheet.
Frustration grew for the visitors, and Olivier Boscagli was booked for dissent near the end. Arsenal held firm through six minutes of added time to claim a deserved win and move into the last eight of the competition.
