Albion made to pay for missed chances

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Frustrating night at the Emirates as Arsenal seal quarter-final place in Carabao Cup with 2-0 win.

Bruce Talbot

2025-10-29T21:35+00:00

Georginio Rutter saw this early effort blocked. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

Albion are out of the Carabao Cup but it could easily have been a different story on a frustrating night at the Emirates.

Arsenal could not have complained had Albion been two goals up at the break. They created several great chances but couldn’t convert any of them and Arsenal punished them 12 minutes into the second half when Ethan Nwaneri broke the deadlock.

Albion kept going as they attacked an away end of nearly 6,000 fans who overcame disruption on the rail network to provide plenty of noisy backing, but it was the eight-times finalists who sealed their place in the quarter-finals when substitute Bukayo Saka made it 2-0 with 13 minutes remaining.

Carlos Baleba holds off Ethan Nwaneri. 📷 Paul Hazlewood

Fabian Hurzeler’s selected five of those who started at Old Trafford on Saturday and in a strong first ten minutes his side ought to have scored twice.

A lovely right-wing move opened up space in the box for Georginio Rutter but his angled effort was blocked by Kepa Arrizabalaga and moments later the Frenchman led a counter-attack from an Arsenal corner.

Stefanos Tzimas didn’t have to break stride when Rutter laid the ball into his path but the Greek striker failed to test the keeper from ten yards out. Diego Gomez and Rutter did work Arrizabalaga from outside the box as Albion dominated the opening 25 minutes.

Jan Paul van Hecke should have done better when he met Maxin De Cuyper’s inswinging corner but glanced it wide of the far post. Albion should have had a comfortable advantage at the break. Would they pay for their profligacy? The answer, frustratingly, was yes.

Stefanos Tzimas runs onto the ball. 📷Paul Hazlewood

Arrizabalaga did make the first save of the second half, fisting Maxin De Cuyper’s right-foot drive after Tzimas did well to go past three defenders and spread the ball into the Belgian’s path.

And it wasn’t until the 55th minute when he got down to save Nwaneri’s shot that Jason Steele was forced into action but three minutes later the Albion keeper was beaten. Eberechi Eze started the move, Myles Lewis-Skelly played a lovely ball to Nwaneri whose curling right-foot shot found the bottom corner, although Steele did a get a slight touch.

Albion had another great opportunity when Tommy Watson picked out the unmarked Yasin Ayari 15 yards out but his shot was blocked and Arsenal were growing in confidence.

Babis Kostoulas hurdles a challenge from Arsenal keeper Kepa. 📷Paul Hazlewood

Steele denied Mikel Merino a second when he blocked the Arsenal captain’s close range header but he had no chance when Saka sealed Arsenal’s victory in the 77th minute.

Steele again did well to block Andre Harriman-Annous’s angled drive but Saka was onto the loose ball before anyone else and thrashed it into the net. Leandro Trossard nearly made it three in stoppage time but his shot came back off the post.

Albion: Steele, De Cuyper (Wieffer 67), van Hecke, Boscagli, Coppola (Welbeck 78), Kadigolu, Baleba, Gomez (Watson 67), Rutter (Minteh 67), Tzimas, Kostoulas (Ayari 45).