Gabriel shows true colours amid Arsenal injury absence with three-word Preston message

Arsenal took another step towards a next piece of silverware under Mikel Arteta with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Championship outfit Preston North End in the Carabao Cup.

Not since the FA Cup in 2020 have the Gunners got their hands on a trophy. They have gone extremely close to altering that record with steps towards claiming the Premier League title, but a hint of desperation has instead set in as they go for at least one major honour.

And whilst deemed by some as one of the lesser competitions in the English football calendar, there is no less of an achievement in winning the Carabao Cup. In fact, as opening round ties take place from the period packed with international break through to the final shortly after gruelling the festive period, it takes a great deal of willpower to stay the duration and lift this cup.

The trip to Deepdale marked a good opportunity for Arteta to rotate his squad, though the manager actually fielded quite a strong starting line-up containing William Saliba, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber to minimise any risk.

Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz both netted, though in fact it was 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri's third senior Arsenal between those strikes that was the pick of the bunch. Letting the ball run onto his left foot, the youngster blasted his effort into the top left corner of Freddie Woodman's net.

"Ethan Nwaneri is showing every day what kind of skills he has. His teammates trust him, as they give him the ball... that's a great sign for him," Arteta said at full-time. "He’s a big talent, right attitude. We have some player there, I'm sure of that!"

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And the boss wasn't the only one to respond. Arsenal posted to their Instagram account lauding Nwaneri's goal, and Reiss Nelson was evidently impressed. The Gunner - on loan at Fulham this season - commented: 'Bad boy'.

Unable to feature last night was defender Gabriel Magalhaes. The defender was substituted in last Sunday's match against Liverpool after a battle with Darwin Nunez didn't go to plan, and the match three nights later was deemed too soon of a risk.

Arteta had explained: "We’re still assessing him. It doesn’t look that bad at all. He was much better the next day. Hopefully he’ll be fine."

But even if not involved, Gabriel remains a key voice within the squad and from the capital offered his congratulations to his victorious team-mates in Lancashire with the message: "Well done boys."

It remains to be seen if Saturday's trip to Newcastle United is still too soon for the Brazilian. Arsenal were able to welcome back William Saliba for the cup clash after his suspension was served, whilst Jakub Kiwior filling in alongside him put on a confident display.