Preston 0-3 Arsenal | EFL Cup | Post Match

Hale End gem Ethan Nwaneri scored a record-breaking stunner as Arsenal strode to a 3-0 win over Preston North End in the last 16 of the EFL Cup at Deepdale.

The 17-year-old was on target either side of efforts from Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz as Mikel Arteta's side booked their spot in the quarter-finals with minimal fuss, although PNE did not completely fold and had a few moments of their own late on.

A meeting between the only two clubs in English football to ever go a full season unbeaten, Arsenal settled into a steady period of possession against their Championship foes, whose defensive structure was initially holding out.

However, the trio of Jesus, Raheem Sterling and 17-year-old Nwaneri sought to cause havoc whenever they could, and it was seemingly only a matter of time before the Gunners breached the PNE backline.

True enough, the goal that the visitors' dominance merited arrived through an increasingly rare scorer in Jesus - who had not scored for exactly nine months before the trip to Deepdale - and the two-goal cushion came via a wonderful 20-yard strike from Nwaneri.

The teenager's Gareth Bale-esque curler also saw him make Arsenal history as the youngest Gunner to score in each of their first two starts for the club, and there was no let-up from Arteta's men once the second 45 got underway.

At the risk of unnecessary injuries, the Arsenal boss sent on some of his big-hitters for the second 45 minutes, although that helped the visitors make their margin of victory more emphatic as Havertz headed home in front of the away end.

To Preston's credit, they continuously attacked their visitors and came close to a consolation a couple of times - Tommy Setford was far from convincing in goal on his full debut - but it was a relatively straightforward evening for Arsenal in the end.