ARSENAL THROUGH TO CUP SEMIS

Premier League heavyweights Arsenal are through to the last four of this season’s Carabao Cup after they thrashed League One side Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night. The Gunners moved a step closer to silverware thanks to the thumping 5-1 home  win over Sunderland in an entertaining cup tie.

Arsenal raced into a two-goal lead in the first half through Eddie Nketiah and Nicholas Pepe before Sunderland pulled one back through Nathan Broadhead. The Gunners had been on a run of five straight clean sheets at home before Broadhead halved the deficit for his team. Sunderland were then handed a big blow on the injury front after Broadhead went off injured and was replaced by Denver Hume who had just returned to full fitness after a long injury layoff. The goal from the aforementioned Broadhead ensured that the Black Cats went into the half-time break with a 2-1 deficit and the hope of causing an upset at the expense of the Gunners.

Arsenal took the game away from Sunderland in the second half with three goals. Nketiah scored twice in the second half to bag his first Arsenal career hattrick and the third overall career hattrick. The Gunners striker had previously scored two hattricks for the England u-21 team. His treble against the Black Cats was the first one of his club career. Nketiah has a very good record in the Carabao Cup and his latest goal exploits took his tally in the competition to five goals in three games. He has ten goals in nine Carabao Cup games.

The two goals from Nketiah at the start of the second half edged Arsenal 4-1 clear and the scoreline was further extended when young Charlie Patino came off the bench to score the fifth goal Arsenal goal in added time as the Gunners recorded an emphatic win to secure a semi-final berth.