Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has waxed lyrical about young stars Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri after the Gunners’ 7-1 win against PSV.
Arsenal have all but qualified for the last eight of the Champions League after winning their last 16 first leg by six goals in Eindhoven.
The Premier League club became the first team in Champions League history to score seven or more away from home in a knockout stage match and it was only the third time in their history that PSV have conceded seven goals in a game.
Teenagers Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly linked up for Arsenal’s second of the night, with the former converting the latter’s low cross.
Both Hale End graduates are having outstanding breakout seasons under Arteta and the Spaniard praised both after Tuesday’s emphatic win.
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“To be doing what they are doing at 17 and 18 years old, shows incredible maturity,” Arteta said.
“They are doing that because of how the other players support them and make them better. They have a lot of courage.
“Myles makes an assist, that’s the team that I want to see, they take initiative and they want to make things happen.”
Lewis-Skelly was very lucky not to be sent off with the score at 2-0, getting away with what looked like a certain yellow card minutes after being booked.
Arteta reacted by bringing the left-back off for Riccardo Calafiori in the 35th minute.
“I haven’t seen the second action but you are 2-0 up away from home and I didn’t want to risk it. He is very young so we have to protect him,” Arteta said when asked about his decision not to risk Lewis-Skelly further.
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On the match, Arteta said: “So happy for the boys because in the last two games, we haven’t scored a goal and we know the noise around that.
“This is the beauty of football. Focus on what you are doing and do your best. Anything can happen.
“It’s a massive result away from home in a competition that we love, that we miss for so many years. Today is a really special night for us.”
Former Ajax defender Jurrien Timber opened the scoring against PSV and spoke to the media after the match.
“Massive performance form the team,” he said. “I’m proud of the guys, we have shown today in the Champions League again that we are capable of a lot.
“First next week, we put ourselves in a good position for next week. Let’s finish it, then we’ll see.”
Midfielder Declan Rice added: “We were fluid, we had enthusiasm. We had the drive and hunger, it’s the knockout rounds of the Champions League.
“But we have playing like this all season. We spoke about a narrative but we players feel like we’ve been doing well. Sometimes we score five or six, sometimes we score two or three, sometimes we can lose by one.
“That’s where we need to keep pushing as a team with the mentality. Tonight we did that.
“When they came back to make it 3-1, we could have sat back. But we pushed on and you saw that with the goals we scored in the second half. A massive performance.
“Seventeen years old (Nwaneri), playing on the biggest stage of football. It’s crazy! We see him every day. All of the lads have taken him under our wing, the same with Myles. You should see them train, they have no fear. And the way they come to perform.
“Even if [Bukayo] Saka was still here, Ethan would still be in and around the team and getting minutes. He trains that well and he’s that good. We have two youngsters and plenty more are coming through.
“Now onto the home game, nothing’s done yet. We’ll see what happens.”
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