CARABAO CUP 

ARSENAL 2 (Nwaneri 57, Saka 72)

BRIGHTON 0

THE Gunners notched yet another clean sheet victory and this time with their second string and scoring two goals from open play.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal machine have now gone the whole of October without conceding a single goal in what appears to be turning into a memorable run.

The quadruple is still on.

The opener was a thing of beauty. Ethan Nwaneri steering a cut back from Miles Lewis-Skelly into the far corner.

Mikel Merino has sent Lewis-Skelly through with an audacious back heel.

Fifteen year old Max Dowman – the youngest player to ever start for Arsenal – raised the pulses each time he touched the ball.

He has wonderful feet and serene movement, effortlessly gliding past players in the style of Bukayo Saka.

Perhaps hanging onto the ball a little too long at times, his thin frame is problem when challenging for headers or tackling back.

He will probably be out trick or treating this weekend.

Other than Dowman’s close control than this there were very few real highlights in the game – the third home game in eight days.

Arsenal are hard to beat. But the games they are winning so impressively are also a tough to watch at times.

The first half was memorably dull and there was some play that appeared very sloppy compared to the mechanical super machine like precision home fans have got used to watching.

The Premierleague and Champions League are the top priorities this season, and Arteta made 10 changes.

After the match, he said: “It’s some very sloppy giveaways that we did give, in very dangerous areas.

“We didn’t apply two or three rules that we always have in second phases, for example, and we could have been punished.

“Kepa made a brilliant save, they made another big chance. It was more the feeling that we were struggling a bit.

“But to be fair, I expected that, when you make 10 changes and you put players that have never played before, some of them, they haven’t played much as well this season, you have to gamble.”

Arteta had also handed a first team debut to Andre Harriman-Annous up front but the 17 year-old barely got a touch in the first half.

In the second held the ball up well and looked more composed.

After being played in by Jurien Timber, his shot rebounded to Saka who hammered in Arsenal’s second.

Annous chased down and won a lost ball back with Brighton looking to counter just before being subbed off.

He got a big hug rom the manager at the end.

But it’s a lonely place playing up front for Arsenal right now.

Many runs are made, with few rewards. A hold up, lay off, and dragging defenders away from the other attacker is what it seems to be all about.

Brighton fans had the whole away end and spend much of the match booing Eze each time he touched the ball because of his Palace roots.

Christian Norgaard was on long throws and Merino almost scored from a header.

Brighton had the better chances – mustering five shots. But there was an air of inevitability about the scoreline.

Next up its Burnley away in the league.

After the match, Arteta said: “We made 10 changes, we played players that never played together, yet we had two huge debuts for Max and Andre.

“That feeling of giving the opportunity to somebody and fulfilling a dream is unique. I’m very happy that things turned out to be very positive and we managed to win the game.”