Arsenal starlet joins illustrious list of youngest Champions League knockout stage goalscorers

Ethan Nwaneri joined an esteemed list on Tuesday night after the Arsenal starlet got on the scoresheet during the Gunners' 7-1 thrashing of PSV Eindhoven.

Having endured back-to-back scoreless outings ahead of their trip to the Low Countries, there was an expectation that Mikel Arteta's side would have to slog their way through the first leg of their round of 16 tie against a PSV side who are typically so hard to beat at the Philips Stadion.

However, Peter Bosz's side are slumping, and Arsenal took full advantage. This was the get-right game to end all get-right games as the north Londoners became the first team in Champions League history to score seven goals away from home in a knockout stage fixture.

Their place in the quarter-finals is all but secure, with an enthralling tie against one of the Madrid clubs on the horizon.

Where Ethan Nwaneri ranks in youngest ever Champions League KO stage goalscorers list

After Jurrien Timber headed Arsenal into an 18th-minute lead, teenage sensation Nwaneri - our reigning Player of the Month - doubled the Gunners' advantage with a fierce strike from inside the box. It was a goal made in Hale End - and the first time two English teenagers have combined for a Champions League goal - with Myles Lewis-Skelly teeing up his academy teammate, as Nwaneri scored his second goal in the competition.

The dazzling playmaker netted his first Champions League goal on Matchday 8 of the league phase at Girona. Now, Nwaneri's joined an esteemed list of starlets to score on the biggest stage.

With his strike on Tuesday night, Nwaneri - aged 17 years and 348 days - became the third-youngest goalscorer ever in the Champions League knockout stages. The kid usurped Jamal Musiala (17y, 363d) and Kylian Mbappe (18y, 63d) in the list and slots in behind Bojan Krkic (17y, 217d) and Jude Bellingham (17y, 289d). That's some company.

Nwaneri is thus just the fourth 17-year-old to strike in the knockout stages, and Arsenal supporters will hope his career trajectory follows that of either Bellingham or Musiala as opposed to Bojan. The former Barcelona wunderkind seemed destined to emerge alongside Lionel Messi as a bona fide superstar, but he'd develop into nothing more than a handy squad player in Catalonia before enjoying a respectable career which spanned an array of countries. He didn't quite hit the heights once projected for him.

There's no need to make predictions over where Nwaneri's future lies. As the great philosopher Rio Ferdinand once said: "Just enjoy 'em, man."

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