by Tony Attwood
In a match which kicked off this morning Eddie Nketiah scored a hat-trick as Arsenal U18s beat Manchester City under 18s 4-3 at London Colney.
Kwame Ampadu coaches the team and he put out a strong side of 2nd year apprentices, but Manchester City took the lead through Lukas Nmecha in the 14th minute.
Nketiah got his first to make it 1-1 following what the Arsenal web site called “good build up play from Joe Willock.”
Eddie Nketiah then got his second goal to put Arsenal in the ascendancy but Jadon Sancho’s for Manchester City meant that the two sides were level at the break.
Arsenal.com continues the tale: “The drama continued into the second half with the unlikely source of Tolaji Bola putting Arsenal back in front after he was feed up by Malen. City refused to give up with Nmecha making it 3-3 from the penalty spot in an enthralling encounter.” (Bola is considered an unlikely source as he is a central defender).
“Nketiah wasn’t finished, though, with the striker completing his hat-trick to put Arsenal 4-3 up.
“There was a chance for another goal late (to make it four goals in the match) but Nketiah missed a penalty. It mattered little as the England youth international had already made the decisive contribution to the game.”
Here is the Arsenal line up: Virginia; Osei-Tutu, Olowu, Medley, T. Bola; McGuane, Dasilva; Smith-Rowe (Dragomir, 68), J. Willock (Gilmour, 89), Malen; Nketiah. Subs not used: Crean, Ballard, Burton.
But this is not the first time that this young man has shone in Arsenal colours. Last month the Sun who don’t normally bother themselves with such matters ran the headline
Arsenal wonderkid Eddie Nketiah nets hat-trick for England Under-18s and draws comparisons with Gunners great Thierry Henry
Their commentary ran..,.
“Gunners striker is turning heads and getting fans excited with his ability after netting three for Young Lions in 4-0 win over Qatar
“ENGLAND fans are joining Gunners fans in their excitement over the club’s latest wonderkid after Eddie Nketiah netted a hat-trick for his country. The Three Lions Under-18 prospect scored a treble against Qatar during a 4-0 win in the Gulf state.”
But still that wasn’t the first hat-trick the 17-year-old has scored this season.
Nketiah also got three against Leicester Under-23s earlier this season, (who were unbeaten at the time) as well as three (although not in the same game) in the Uefa Youth League.
And with that wonderfully wild and utterly erratic predictive quality that the media has, they continue with “There will soon be calls for Arsene Wenger to include him in the Gunners’ first-team squad.”
Now what makes the whole Eddie Nketiah story particularly interesting is not that he has just signed his first professional contract nor that “he’s already showing what a huge future he has at the club,” as one reporter put it, but rather that in 2015 he was released by Chelsea.
A couple of days later Arsenal “snapped him up” as they say in journalistic circles – well as they say in the Metro, “convinced he would be a success and if youth team level football is anything to go by, they may well be right.”
Nketiah’s goalscoring record is quite interesting, for in addition to having scored 24 goals in 28 appearances with the U18s in 2015/16 he has also…
- Scored 11 in 13 for the under 18s
- Scored 3 in 2 starts and 2 sub app in Uefa Youth League
- Scored 5 in 4 starts and 7 sub appearances in under 23s
Which makes 19 goals in 19 starts and 9 substitute appearances
Rather good really.
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From the Arsenal History Society
The crowd at Woolwich Arsenal: Arsenal in the 2nd division 1893/4 to 1903/4
The Arsenal Handbook 1930: the errors and the consequences
The Arsenal handbook 1930: after winning the first major trophy
David Halliday: top scoring centre forward who couldn’t make it at Arsenal
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Congratulations to Eddie!
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A point about the darned officials. Perhaps things have changed (recently?).
To me, PGMO is an organization involved with The Premier League. In a write up about a recent screwup in a Newcastle game in the Championship (EFL, not EPL), the PGMOL was equated with being the labour union representing all officials.
Eddie is the latest in a long line of junior strikers of whom there are great hopes. He has been a prolific goalscorer at all levels since he joined us having been released by Chelsea aged 14 reportedly for being too small. He still isn’t large but neither is Alexis, a smaller size doesn’t preclude you becoming a great striker so long as you are clever.
He takes a game or two to settle when he moves to a different age level but once acclimatised he just continues to fill the onion bag. He probably needs another season at U23 level before making the first team but if he continues his upwards trajectory could well be the breakout play for 2017/18. He is a real talent and definitely one to look out for.
Gord,
Yes the PGMO Do provide the officials to the Championship and the lower divisions. The Championship officials are a mix of full and part time salaried staff, those in the lower divisions are paid on a game by game basis I believe.
Okay, I didn’t know that PGMO had spread that far.
Is it accurate to call them a labour union?
Thanks!
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OT Real Mad struggling against Munchen. There’s a surprise!
I wonder how they’d get on if they lost Ramos for the second half (of both legs)….what a predictable shower witnessed from the orifices of the aaa in recent times, which can be observed to bear sweet FA relation to what happens on the football pitch.
Thanks Andrew.
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An attempt at a joke. Just slightly different from what Brickfields provides.
http://untold-arsenal.com/archives/60979#comment-914161
Blimey.
Having a top level defender sent off against one of the European giants makes a difference….?
There’s another surprise!
Don’t tell me that a referee has influenced a Champions League game – shock horror!
Lets hope he makes it and has a great career at Arsenal. (If only to rub Chel$ faces in the mud) : ) .
For those who want to see him here is a link to the Arsenal goals. I sure liked the second goal. A cool finish. https://www.facebook.com/Arsenal/?fref=ts
Go , Eddie ! Hope he makes it big time with us . AW is probably the right man to guide such precocious and precious talent through our ranks .
Looking forward to seeing him playing in our first team.
Gord , here’s one that I will title as mouthing off ,or in others words ….
A Pastor goes to the dentist for a set of false teeth. The first Sunday after he gets his new teeth, he talks for only eight minutes.
The second Sunday, he talks for only ten minutes. The following Sunday, he talks for 2 hours and 48 minutes.
The congregation had to mob him to get him down from the pulpit and they asked him what happened.
The Pastor explains the first Sunday his gums hurt so bad he couldn’t talk for more than 8 minutes. The second Sunday his gums hurt too much he couldn’t talk for more than 10 minutes.
But, the third Sunday, he put his Wife’s’ teeth in by mistake and he couldn’t shut up…
I guess Real Madrid lost after all.
At last a Husband has gathered the courage and taken the time to write down all of these by today on the 1st April 2017:
We always hear “the rules” from the Wife’s side.
Now here are the rules from the husband’s side.
These are our rules! Please note..
These are all numbered “1” because each one is as important as the others !!!
1. Husbands ARE not mind readers.
1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.
1. Crying is blackmail.
1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Neither do Strong hints! Obvious hints never! Our wiring does not take them!! Just say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly Acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only If you want help solving it. That’s what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days.
1. If you think you’re fat, you probably are. Don’t ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted in two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one .
1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both.
1. If you already know best how to do it, please just do it yourself.
1. When I am watching TV, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions. Neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colours, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a colour. Like Pumpkin! We have no idea what mauve or lavender is.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing,” we will act like nothing’s wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
1. If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to, expect an answer you don’t want to hear
1. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as football, cars, bikes or games.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. You are in shape….. Round IS also a shape!
1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;
But did you know men really don’t mind that? It’s like camping.
Just watched the video. Great goals! That must have been an exciting match to watch. The kind of football Mandy Dodd was describing on another stream. Let’s hope we don’t lose it!
Brickfield,
On behalf of men everywhere, I thank you.