Football Review | Port Vale 0 - 2 Arsenal

New signing strikes first as Arsenal advance in Carabao Cup

Eberechi Eze scored his first goal for Arsenal as they overcame League One side Port Vale to book a place in the Carabao Cup fourth round.

Author | DJ

Stadium | Vale Park

The £60m summer signing broke the deadlock inside eight minutes, slotting home from Gabriel Martinelli’s pass. It was the forward’s first goal in six appearances for the club and he nearly doubled his tally before half-time, only to be denied by Port Vale goalkeeper Joe Gauci after being played through by Mikel Merino.

The hosts, promoted from League Two last season, competed well against their Premier League visitors and threatened from set pieces. They came close to an equaliser 15 minutes from time when substitute Devante Cole curled narrowly over from distance

The Gunners finally made the result safe late on as Leandro Trossard drove in to seal victory and set up a fourth-round tie against his former club Brighton.

Arsenal in the hunt for rare EFL Cup success

Whilst they have lifted a record 14 FA Cups, the EFL Cup has proved elusive, with only two triumphs, in 1987 and 1993. They reached the semi-final last season but were comfortably beaten by the eventual winners, Newcastle.

Strengthened by a busy summer, Mikel Arteta now has greater depth at his disposal, though he made nine changes from Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City. That rotation perhaps explained their struggles to build on Eze’s early strike despite dominating possession, with chances limited until Trossard’s late intervention.

Eze will be relieved to have opened his account on his return to the club, yet Arteta is convinced the 26-year-old has far more to offer.

Best fan reaction

With this 𝐒𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐇, can Arsenal go all the way in the Carabao Cup? 🏆 #FanCams #Arsenal #AFTV pic.twitter.com/x5yEsUc4Jk

— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) September 24, 2025

One thing that was made clear in the summer was that Arsenal improved their strength in depth. This is something that has impressed fans.

When speaking about Eberechi Eze, Arsenal supporter Tim Stallman said: "That performance was why we signed him. Regardless of who we play or in what competition, he will win us football matches. He could have easily scored another two. There’s a lot more to come from him.”

Another bonus for Arsenal has been the return of Bukayo Saka. When talking about this, another Arsenal fan, Paul Stallman added: “You can see the management need to manage his minutes, but that was good from. He will, again, be an important player for us.”