It was a day of superb showing from academy graduates as Arsenal beat Sunderland 5-1 to progress to the semi-finals of the League Cup. Eddie Nketiah scored a hat-trick and Charlie Patino who made his senior debut on Tuesday scored after coming from the bench.

The stoppage-time goal at Emirates Stadium saw the 18-year-old midfielder prod in a shot after Nicolas Pépé rolled the ball into the penalty area.

Pépé was also Arsenal’s second scorer in the first half after Nketiah netted the opener from close range in the 17th minute against the third-tier side.

It was another encouraging result for Arsenal who are finding form. The Gunners are 4th on the Premier League table. Mikel Arteta’s side are looking to end a 5-season absence from the Champions League.

ARTETA URGES ARSENAL TO CONTINUE GOOD FORM

“When you win football matches everything looks much better,” Arteta said.

“We have to be consistent with the decisions that we make, keep trying to improve all the time the way we play, perform better and better and the results will come. They are coming right now and now it is about consistency. There are a lot of games coming up and we want to maintain that form.”

Meanwhile, Arteta said Nketiah will get more game time in the remainder of the season after an impressive outing in the League Cup.

“We’re going to need him and he’s going to play more minutes,” Arteta said. “He wants to be the best and works all the time to do that. He’s a player that has come through our system and that’s why we want to keep him.”

The League Cup semi-final lineup will be completed Wednesday when Chelsea goes to Brentford, Liverpool plays Leicester and Tottenham hosts West Ham