An Arsenal team of second-string players and youth stars had no trouble at all breezing past FC Vorskla on Thursday, winning the match 3-0 in Kiev.
With the North London derby on Sunday, Unai Emery had a call to make in midweek. Starting his star players would wear them out, and even taking them on the trip to sit in freezing conditions after a long journey to Ukraine could hardly do them any good.
As a result, he decided to trust in the Arsenal academy to fill the gaps in the squad, and it worked a treat. Let’s have a look at our individual player ratings for the match:
4Substitutes
Zech Medley 8
Medley was the first of three debutants on Thursday night, and he certainly impressed the Arsenal fans. Unlike many players coming through the academy, Medley is already built for senior football, standing at 6’4″.
The question was whether he’d be comfortable technically, and he answered that by showing a lovely passing range and winning the only aerial duels and tackles he contested.
Bukayo Saka 8
After Medley, Saka came on for his senior debut. The winger who recently turned 17 only stepped up to the u23s this year, but he took no time at all settling in there, and there’s no doubt he’ll be just as quick to adapt to senior football.
In his brief appearance on the pitch, Saka beat a defender with a stepover and fired a powerful shot away, before creating a great chance for Willock.
Charlie Gilmour 7.5
Finally, Gilmour came on for the closing minutes. He had a couple of nice touches and passes, but mostly he’ll just be proud to have made his debut. After playing 90 minutes for the u23s on Monday, he was never likely to play an extended part in this game, it was just about reaching that milestone.