Arsenal vs Doncaster Rovers: 5 things we learned as Theo Walcott strike sees Gunners sneak through in EFL Cup

Arsenal scraped a 1-0 win over Doncaster Rovers to make it through to the Carabao Cup fourth round on a frustrating night in north London.

Theo Walcott scored the only goal as a record-low Emirates crowd looked on with the usual moans and groans that have become customary at this new home.

The night had promised so much more though. It had been a lively start with the two teams exchanging chances within the first two minutes: Walcott coming close for the hosts moments after goalkeeper David Ospina had saved smartly from Rodney Kongolo at the other end.

The visitors’ resistance was admirable but it was only ever going to last so long. Walcott eventually opened the scoring but it was all thanks to a delightful ball over the top from Alexis Sanchez. The Chile forward sent a diagonal from the left side of the box and found Walcott in space behind the Doncaster defence and the England man had a simple finish when one on one with the keeper.

Arsenal enjoyed several more chances in the first-half, although none of them clear cut, and would perhaps have been disappointed to only go into half-time just one goal ahead.

Rovers put up more fight in the second-half and almost had a chance to level but for Ainsley Maitland-Niles to put on the after-burners and scramble in defence as Alfie May bore down on goal.

The Emirates grew increasingly frustrated as their side struggled to find a second and Liam Mandeville came very close for the visitors but ultimately they could not breach Ospina's net.

Here are five things we learned from the game:

Walcott put in a very Walcott performance

In more than a decade at the Emirates, Walcott has always promised great things but never really managed to deliver on a regular basis.

Tonight was his career in microcosm. He took his opening goal extremely well, killing Sanchez’s diagonal and neatly lifting the ball over the on-rushing Ian Lawlor.

But then he struggled to do much else, dragging one shot wide and having a few failed crosses before going off as a second-half substitute with a slight knock. It looks increasingly unlikely he will ever fulfil his potential in north London.

Nelson got a taste of proper men’s football

Making first start for the club, Reiss Nelson perhaps didn’t enjoy the dream debut he had hoped for. The 17-year-old graduated from the club’s academy with a huge reputation and has been the subject of much hype following a series of video clips from training and reserve matches in which he has demonstrated sublime skill.

But up against the imposing presence of Football League defenders like Andy Butler and Joe Wright, the youngster was relatively anonymous save for a couple of tame shots either side of half-time.

Nevertheless, tonight will have been a good learning experience for a young striker the club’s record signing Alexandre Lacazette believes has the potential to become a “top player”.

Maitland-Niles looks ready for more first-team time

The back three and Arsenal’s dominance of possession meant the youngster did not have to worry too much about defensive responsibilities and could instead show off his attacking prowess.

And he did that with aplomb, particularly early on, as he made several bright runs down the left flank and delivered searching balls into the box which the Arsenal strikers would have been disappointed not to finish off.

But he also showed that he does boast the necessary defensive capabilities, twice tracking back well to win the ball when Doncaster made rare forays forward. He did make one slight slip in the second-half but once again showed great pace to recover.

Should Sead Kolasinac or Nacho Monreal get injured, Maitland-Niles looks a good back-up for that left wing-back slot.

Wilshere got a confidence boost

Wilshere was given the backing of his manager ahead of the game with Arsene Wenger saying his midfielder had come back a more mature player following his loan spell at Bournemouth last season and spell on the sidelines with injury. “I believe that these kind of games are very important for Jack at the moment,” Wenger said. “He is focused, he is working hard and he is absolutely determined to get his place back in the team.”

And Wilshere showed that hunger as this game unfolded. Sporting a new streamlined buzzcut, the 25-year-old was Arsenal’s driving force in midfield. With darting runs from the likes of Maitland-Niles, Sanchez and Walcott he picked out passes like an NFL quarter-back, as well as launching runs and shots of his own.

With Arsenal’s midfield slots still looking up for grabs, Wilshere gave his manager a good reminder of his quality.

The Emirates hit a new low (in numbers at least)

The EFL Cup has never been a particularly big draw for the Premier League’s biggest sides, but with Arsenal struggling in all competitions and ticket prices continuing to rise the Emirates saw a record low attendance with just 44,064 tickets sold.

Nevertheless, there was still proof that the cup competition means a lot to teams lower down the leagues with Doncaster, 51 places below Arsenal in the pyramid, bringing 5,000 in travelling support.

The visitors put in a spirited performance too, frustrating a relatively strong Arsenal side for long periods and they were perhaps unlucky not to take the game to extra-time.