Why Mikel Arteta loved Ethan Nwaneri's cameo against Leicester

James Justin's first two Premier League goals, the second of which was a stunner, meant a once-cruising Arsenal were at risk of dropping points at home to newly-promoted opposition.

A 2-0 lead dissipated thanks to Justin's unlikely heroics, and a quite outstanding Mads Hermansen performance was set to leave the Gunners incredibly frustrated.

Arsenal needed a goal, and Mikel Arteta turned to his bench. Raheem Sterling replaced Gabriel Martinelli, who opened the scoring, heading into the game's final act before young Ethan Nwaneri was preferred to Gabriel Jesus to next enter the fray.

The 17-year-old had dazzled in a 5-1 victory over Bolton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, and many were clamouring for Nwaneri to keep his place in the XI for what would be his first Premier League start. Arteta opted against retaining the youngster in his team, but he at least placed some faith in the starlet by introducing him when Arsenal required attacking inspiration late on.

Why Mikel Arteta loved Ethan Nwaneri's cameo against Leicester

Brought on with five minutes of normal time remaining, Nwaneri seemingly didn't have long to have an impact. Within seconds of his arrival, the teenager almost had the Emirates in raptures with a stunning solo goal, but his effort from distance was denied by Hermansen.

"Ethan Nwaneri came on and beat one, two, three players. I just love it. If you want to play here you need to play with that courage," Arteta said post-match.

Arsenal may have left it late, but they produced an excellent collective display laden with positives. Nwaneri's cameo was an undoubted bright spark, with the midfielder once again proving that he's ready for a more prominent first-team role.

Nwaneri's 12-minute cameo arrived exclusively in Leicester's third. He played bereft of fear and inhibition. Not once did he seem concerned over the possibility of losing the ball at a time when patience and ball retention were crucial. He jinks and jives like he's being controlled by somebody in the stands, with the fluidity at which he manoeuvres being hard to ignore.

The midfielder received expertly on the half-turn and was relentless in his desire to probe and create. His cameo was joyous, and it's just incredibly hard not to be giddy over Nwaneri's potential within Arteta's framework.

The boss spoke of Nwaneri's abundant "courage" in the aftermath of his head-turning cameo, but perhaps it's time for Arteta to display a little bit of courage of his own by entrusting the teenager with a start against Southampton next weekend.

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