Five goals, four teenage debutants, two goals for Ethan Nwaneri and a lively performance from Raheem Sterling: things couldn’t have gone better for Mikel Arteta than they did on other nights. Arsenal effortlessly beat Bolton and secured a place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with Preston.

Despite the manager suggesting that large-scale rotation would be difficult due to injuries, he ultimately relied more on the next generation of youth players than expected.

With David Raya and Tommy Setford sidelined and Neto cup-bound, the decision to start 16-year-old Jack Porter at goal was particularly notable. He was joined in the line-up by right-back Josh Nichols, while Ismeal Kabia and Maldini Kacurri made their debuts from the bench.

With so many new faces it was easy to forget that Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, both regulars in pre-season, were also making their first starts for the club. The youngsters did not disappoint and completed a memorable night for them and the club.

In his post-match press conference, Arteta reflected: “A very positive evening, the result, the performance. We gave a lot of experienced players minutes and they really showed a lot of quality tonight.

“Also, we gave a lot of chances to a lot of young players, they responded really well and it’s so satisfying to see their faces, their reaction and how much it means to them, a really great night.”

Ending the evening as the first under-18 to score more than once on his competitive debut, Nwaneri was rightly named man-of-the-match. In the absence of Martin Odegaard, who is still struggling with an ankle ligament injury, the midfielder underlined his qualities as a possible solution.

“It’s another step,” Arteta said. “I think it’s further than what anyone expected, in his journey with the first team he’s always further than what anyone expected and what I expected as well. He’s part of us, so he’s getting the minutes.”

Arteta was also proud of the way his senior players guided their younger counterparts through the game, with captain Jorginho giving instructions on the pitch for much of the first half and there were kind words of encouragement from several other big names.

“They did it yesterday in training, they gave advice,” Arteta said. “I think the boys feel really comfortable with them. Because they are a great group of players and they really, they can be themselves if they have fears, they can ask questions and they will be happy to help.

“It’s great that they show that leadership as well. And that sense of caring, that’s important and we all need it at some point in our careers.”