Arsenal set up 4th round tie v Brighton after beating Port Vale | OneFootball

Arsenal booked their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a controlled 2-0 win at Port Vale, a result that sets up a home meeting with Brighton next month.

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Eberechi Eze opened his account for the club in the 8th minute, finishing a move sparked by Gabriel Martinelli and Myles Lewis-Skelly. It was a calm strike that highlighted both his timing and composure in a crowded penalty area. “It’s a special day to get my first goal and to win,” Eze said after the match.

“It’s important to get through to the next round; that was the main thing. But it’s a special day for me.

“I just somehow found a space inside the box. So I knew that I didn’t have time to take many touches. So I was just looking to get a shot off; that was the main thing. Fortunate, and a lot of hard work behind it, but it’s a good day.”

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Vale, roared on by their biggest crowd in decades, worked hard to disrupt Arsenal’s rhythm but rarely threatened Kepa Arrizabalaga on his debut as Arsenal finished with 81% possession, having restricted their opponents to zero shots on target and just three attempts in total.

Mikel Arteta’s side retained control despite creating little and sealed the win late on when Leandro Trossard latched onto William Saliba’s long pass and finished from outside the box for his second goal of the season.

Only Bukayo Saka has more direct goal contributions for Arsenal since the Belgian signed for the club.

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Arteta, who made nine changes to his starting line-up, was pleased with both the performance and the squad depth on display. “It’s great to win, and the clean sheet too, the debut for Kepa as well, so I’m very, very pleased for him,” the manager said.

“We started the game very well, scored the goal, generated some big opportunities in the first half without conceding anything.

“In the second half we had certain moments that, with a direct play, we lost some control and dominance, something that we could have done better, and at the end, with the changes and the impact of the players, we managed to get back to that dominance and put the threat on goal that we needed to.”

Trossard’s strike continued his habit of delivering from the bench, and Arteta was quick to praise his contribution. “It’s what he does,” he said. “I think the ball from William was really good, the timing of the run and the quality of execution, top drawer.”

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More than 3,000 Arsenal supporters made the trip to Staffordshire, and their presence was not lost on Arteta. “Our supporters are very loud tonight, which is great to see,” he said. “They travel with us everywhere, they are incredibly passionate with the team, so they deserve that connection at the end to go and say thanks to them and keep doing what we’re doing.”

The win secures a fourth-round tie against Brighton at the Emirates, with the match to be played during the week commencing 27 October.

Carabao Cup round four draw in full