Arsenal secured a place in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals after a dominant 3-0 victory over Preston North End, setting up a clash with Crystal Palace.
After their first match, the Gunners established themselves as one of the top teams in the competition. Given their draw against a lower-league team, expectations were high for an Arsenal win.
However, the level of Preston’s performance remained uncertain, but ultimately, they couldn’t match Arsenal’s quality on the night.
Ethan Nwaneri shone once again in this competition, scoring one of the goals. Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz also added to the score sheet as Arsenal awaited the quarterfinal draw.
A favourable matchup would improve their chances of securing a trophy by season’s end, and, as fans had hoped, Mikel Arteta’s men were awarded a home draw against Crystal Palace in the quarterfinal.
While Arsenal will be aiming for a win, Palace eliminated Aston Villa to reach this stage, making them a formidable opponent.
Still, Arsenal has its sights set on the trophy and must overcome Palace to advance to the final four.
Arsenal’s first “proper” test in the competition probably. A good away win for Palace at Villa means that they shouldn’t be underestimated but with Arsenal at home there shouldn’t really be a need for any excuses.
Some good news elsewhere with Utd playing Sp*rs, although Liverpool, the specialists in this competition, still lurk.