Eberechi Eze off the mark for Arsenal in cup win at Port Vale

Eberechi Eze got his first Arsenal goal as Mikel Arteta’s men laboured to beat League One Port Vale 2-0 in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

After Eze struck just eight minutes into the match this should have turned into a comfortable night for the Gunners against a side who, despite back-to-back wins sit 19th in the third tier, but they struggled to create clear chances until substitute Leandro Trossard finished it off in the 86th minute.

Still it was enough for Arsenal, semi-finalists last season, to progress as they seek to win this competition for only a third time.

Roared on by the biggest Vale Park crowd this century, 16,326-strong, Port Vale came charging out of the traps in the opening five minutes, but no sooner had Arsenal got a foothold in the game they led through Eze’s first goal since his £60million move from Crystal Palace.

Arsenal made the goal look easy as Bukayo Saka won back possession and switched play to the left. Myles Lewis-Skelly’s dummy wrong-footed Jesse Debrah as Gabriel Martinelli’s low ball left Eze with a simple close-range finish.

Eze was part of a strong Gunners side featuring nine changes from Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City as Saka returned to the starting XI after a hamstring injury, Christian Norgaard made his first start and there was a debut in goal for Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The last time these two sides met 27 years ago Arsenal needed penalties to win an FA Cup third-round replay here, having been held goalless at Highbury, and despite Arsenal taking an early lead here this turned into another tough scrap against determined opposition.

For all their possession – 78 per cent in the first half – Arteta’s men struggled to carve out clear opportunities as the hosts defended in