Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta building teenager Ethan Nwaneri 'brick-by-brick' after historic first Premier League goal

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Arsenal shored up their top-four status with a thumping 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey and Ethan Nwaneri who became the Gunners' second-youngest goalscorer in the Premier League. After the win, Arteta heaped praise on the 17-year-old, saying he hopes he can "build a beautiful thing" with Nwaneri "brick-by-brick".

'So much quality' - Arteta backs Arsenal to get back into Premier League title race

Video credit: SNTV

Mikel Arteta hailed Ethan Nwaneri after the teenager scored an historic goal in Arsenal's 3-0 demolition of Nottingham Forest to end their four-match Premier League winless run.

Nwaneri completed the scoring to become the ninth-youngest goalscorer in Premier League history, and now sits behind only Cesc Fabregas as the youngest player to score for Arsenal in the English top-flight.

Bukayo Saka opened the scoring and Thomas Partey also found the net as Arsenal consolidated their place in the top four after kicking off level on points with opponents Forest, and Arteta was glowing with praise for academy product Nwaneri.

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"He is the second youngest [Premier League goalscorer] in our history. That is a story in itself," Arteta told the BBC's Match of the Day. "He is brave. You see the reaction of fans, and they were singing 'he is one of our own'.

"I think we have to put brick-by-brick and make sure the cement does not get dry. Hopefully, we can build a beautiful thing with him."

Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard's second match returning from injury helped Arsenal's forays forward, with the Gunners captain back to his best at the Emirates.

Arsenal's injury woes in the opening months of the season have been well-documented and Arteta said it was not a coincidence that his side had recorded one of their best performances of the season with Odegaard back in the side, adding: "The team flows in a different way when he is playing".

Odegaard was at the heart of Arsenal's attack against Forest, dictating play and creating Saka's opener as the pair started to rekindle their well-established combinations on the right flank.

Asked in his post-game press conference whether he was surprised by the quality of Odegaard's performance, Arteta said: "No. I value that because it is very difficult to do after five or six weeks out.

"It does not surprise me because of how he looks every day. When he is on the team you can sense something different. It is difficult to put a finger on what but he is there."

'So much quality' - Arteta backs Arsenal to get back into Premier League title race

Video credit: SNTV

NUNO: 'WE CAME UP SHORT'

Forest reached the international break on a run of three wins and a draw in their five matches from the start of October, but Nuno Espirito Santo lamented his side's performance at the Emirates.

The result opened a three-point gap to the top five in the congested Premier League table and Forest still have to face Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and both Manchester clubs in their next six games, while top-scorer Chris Wood has found the net just once in November.

"They [Arsenal] played well, and we did not play so well," the Forest boss told Match of the Day. "Arsenal were the better team.

"Second half we became more pressing, but they killed us with the second and third goals. There is not much to say. We have to improve because we did a lot of bad things - especially with the defending. Losing is always very painful. We came up short."

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