Eddie Nketiah bagged a hat-trick as Arsenal thrashed Sheffield United 5-0 to move up to second spot on the Premier League table.
Premier League
Result: Arsenal 5-0 Sheffield United
Date: 28 October 2023
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta surprisingly opted to drop captain Martin Odegaard to the bench, as Emile Smith-Rowe was handed a rare start while Oleksander Zinchenko and Kai Havertz are also brought back into the side.
The Gunners dominated the opening exchanges of the first half, but they found it tough to carve out any clear-cut openings aganist a stubborn Sheffield defence.
That all changed in the 28th minute when Declan Rice's low cross found Eddie Nketiah, who took a neat touch in the box before firing into the far with a composed finish for his third goal of the season.
Arteta's charges pushed for more goals in the latter stages of the second half, with Gabriel Martinelli seeing his strike saved by goalkeeper Wes Foderingham, who also denied Smith-Rowe moments later.
The Gunners carried that momentum into the second half and doubled their lead five minutes in when Nketiah completed his brace by reacting to a loose ball in the box fire home.
Eight minutes later, Nketiah completed his hat-trick with a speculative effort from the edge of the box after some good work by Smith Rowe in the build up.
With the Gunners comfortably leading, Arteta withdrew Saka and Smith Rowe for the final 20 minutes and introduced Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira to freshen up the attack.
The home side were afforded the chance to grab a fourth goal in time added on after being awarded a penalty for Oliver Norwood's poor challenge. Substitute Fabio Vieria stepped up and calmly slotted home to wrap up a big win.
There was enough time for a fifth goal, as Takehiro Tomiyasu opened his account for the Gunners with a volley from the edge of the box.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments
