Mikel Arteta was pleased with Ethan Nwaneri’s play, but not surprised. The 17-year-old’s great goal helped Arsenal beat Preston 3-0 and move on to the Carabao Cup quarterfinals.

After Gabriel Jesus’s first goal since January put Arsenal ahead, the youngster scored a great goal in the first half. Early in the second half, substitute Kai Havertz scored the third goal.

Arsenal beat Bolton 5-1 in the previous round, and Nwaneri scored both of their goals in that game. It was another great showing from the academy player. He could have scored twice at Deepdale as well, but a late shot hit the post.

The Arsenal manager said, “He did it again yesterday in training, so we’re used to it.”

“He’s a big talent, he has the right attitude, and he has the right players and situation around him. We need to make sure that we put each brick in the right place and at the right time, but we have a player there.”

Nwaneri became the youngest player in the Premier League two years ago when he came off the bench against Brentford. He was 15 years and 181 days old. He has been a substitute four times already this season in the league, so he seems ready for a bigger part.

“He’s going to really decide how fast that goes,” Arteta said. “But I’m really, really happy with him.”

The guy there has a lot of personality. He wants everything, he wants to be in charge, and he wants things to happen. Like most 17-year-olds, he’s still a little quiet when he’s outside with the boy.

“You can tell he loves what he does because he’s very respectful and works very hard.” I believe he shows us every day what he can do. His friends always pass the ball to him, which is a good sign. That means we have a player there.

Arteta thinks that Jesus can feel good about his first goal since January’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest, even though Nwaneri will get all the attention.

Arette said, “It’s been a long time.” “I believe it will help him understand that and allow him to move on, but I believe he did well tonight.”

Preston had a hard time with Arsenal in the first half, but they got better after halftime and were finally able to test the Gunners’ new goalie Tommy Setford late in the game. Jeppe Okkels forced Setford to make a good save, and then Emil Riis, a substitute, missed a great chance.

Paul Heckingbottom, the manager of Preston, said, “We were better in the second half. We passed the ball better and were braver. It would have been nice to get a goal that I think our play deserved, but it’s the levels.”

“The first goal was a set piece, and we were marking the wrong people,” he said. “But the second goal is great.” That’s not something you can stop.