—An unconvincing Arsenal advanced into the Carabao Cup quarterfinals with a 2–0 victory at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday evening.
If Mikel Arteta needed any evidence to support his inherently cautious approach to most Arsenal matches, a harum-scarum performance provided a perfect case study. On another night, this much-changed lineup could have been the team picking the ball out of their net on multiple occasions.
In the act of releasing the handbrake—intentionally or, more likely, as a consequence of the sweeping personnel changes—Arsenal had to rely upon an excellent performance from goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Two well-crafted goals from Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka rewarded the hosts’ more fluent approach in possession, but this is unlikely to be a blueprint for more Arsenal performances going forward.
