This Hale End star deserves to start against City on Sunday

By Danong

Was Ethan Nwaneri's performance in Arsenal's 2-1 victory over Girona his best yet since joining the senior team?

Having already qualified for the Champions League round of 16 with their 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb, coach Mikel Arteta didn't have to be cautious with his team selection against Girona.

This was a match where Arteta and his technical bench could afford to rest some players and give others an opportunity to show what they can bring to the table.

Girona broke the deadlock, with Danjuma giving them the lead in the 28th minute after capitalising on poor positioning by Partey compounded by Arsenal deputy goalie Neto's rustiness in decision making due to lack of game time.

However, that lead didn't last long. Arsenal were handed a penalty after Arnau Martinez's foul on Thomas Partey, which Jorginho converted from the spot.

In the 42nd minute, Ethan Nwaneri scored a fantastic curling 'Sakaesk' type effort from the edge of the box to give Arsenal the lead.

That was Nwaneri's 6th goal of the season, making him one of the few PL stars to achieve such a feat before turning 18, a milestone only Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen had reached before him.

Arsenal went into the break with a 2-1 lead. Girona tried to turn things around in the second half and almost succeeded through Cristhian Stuani, but his 76th-minute goal was disallowed due to offside.

In injury time, Raheem Sterling could have made it 3-1, but his penalty was saved by Girona goalie Pau Lopez.

He was handed the penalty by his teammates so that he would regain some confidence and also become the first player to score in the CL for three separate teams. He never looked like he was going to score.

However this match was an opportunity for Nwaneri to show his capabilities and he took his chance with both hands.

The Hale End graduate was a hit, putting up a performance that yelled "This kid is the real deal."

Watching him, I couldn't help but feel our star boy is a hybrid version of Bukayo Saka and a little bit of Phil Foden. He's got a keen eye for goal, lovely footwork, and great finishing ability.

He was named Man of the Match and rightfully so.

According to AiScore he had the most :
shots on goal(3), accurate crosses (2) and turnovers (2).

The 17-year-old's maturity and physicality make him look mature and experienced. It is scary what he could be able to do with more time at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.

Saka has always been the point of reference for Arsenal's emerging talents. Well, Nwaneri is certainly  following in his footsteps.

The Arsenal #7 had 15 G/A for Arsenal at 17. Nwaneri is on 6; it's uncertain if he'll surpass this record, but with more starts he certainly will get close to it.

He deserves to, and will probably, start against Manchester City on Sunday.