Preston North End 0-3 Arsenal: Gunners cruise into last eight

Arsenal eased their way into the EFL Cup quarter-finals after a dominant 3-0 away victory over Preston North End on Wednesday.

Paul Heckingbotton’s Championship side proved no match for the Gunners at Deepdale, where Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring after 24 minutes when sweeping home Jakub Kiwior’s headed assist.

Jesus turned into the creator just nine minutes later, sliding inside towards the edge of the area before teenager Ethan Nwaneri curled a stunning left-footed attempt into the top-left corner.

Left-back Kiwior grabbed another assist with a delightful delivery after the interval, leaving Kai Havertz with a simple header past Freddie Woodman just before the hour.

The Preston goalkeeper denied Raheem Sterling twice in quick succession soon after, before Stefan Thordarson almost turned into his own net when attempting to clear Arsenal’s set-piece routine.

Nwaneri then rattled the crossbar with an ambitious effort as Arsenal cruised into the last-eight draw before Saturday’s Premier League trip to Newcastle United.

Ethan Nwaneri pic.twitter.com/3IsB3AOjPj

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 30, 2024

Data Debrief: Gunners fire past another challenger

Since losing 3-0 to Sheffield Wednesday in October 2015, Arsenal have won all 12 of their EFL Cup matches against sides from outside the Premier League by an aggregate score of 41-5.

The Gunners added another emphatic away victory here to that streak, which also includes a 4-0 win at Nottingham Forest in 2016 and a 6-0 thrashing of West Brom at the Hawthorns in 2021.

For Preston, it was a further disappointment as they lost in the fourth round for an eighth occasion – they have played the most games in the competition without ever featuring in the quarter-final stage (185).