Gabriel Martinelli marked his full debut for Arsenal by scoring twice as the Gunners thumped Nottingham Forest to progress to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
After the crazy, end-to-end nature of Sunday’s win over Aston Villa, this was a much calmer affair for Unai Emery’s side and they ran out 5-0 winners against their Championship opponents.
Martinelli, signed in the summer from Brazilian side Ituano for £7million, caught the eye with an impressive display and opened the scoring with a goal in the 31st minute before getting his second in injury-time.
In between that the victory was wrapped up in the final 19 minutes when Rob Holding, playing his first match since injuring his knee last December, headed home from a corner and Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson got in on the act.
It capped off a pleasing night for Emery as youngsters like Martinelli shone, while Holding, Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin all impressed on their returns from injury.
Indeed it was the return of Holding to the starting XI that created a buzz around the Emirates before a ball had even been kicked.
The fact Tierney was in the team too to make his debut only added to that, but in the end it was Martinelli who got fans off their seats.
The Brazilian teenager looked lively from the off and, after winning a free-kick inside the first 10 minutes, Nelson struck the post with the resulting effort.
You felt a goal was coming and when it did arrive just after half an hour, it was a brilliantly-worked move that broke Forest down.
Nelson picked out Calum Chambers with a cross-field pass from the left and, when the right-back volleyed the ball into the box, Martinelli was there to head home.
It was no more than Arsenal deserved for a first-half display which saw Tierney impress and was only dampened when youngster Emile Smith Rowe was stretchered off.
Arsenal pushed for a second goal to kill the game and they should have had it just after the hour mark, but Willock headed wide from six yards out when Bukayo Saka had picked him out.
But they duly got it in the 71st minute and it came from an unlikely source as Holding marked his return by heading home Nelson’s corner.
Six minutes later, Arsenal had a third. This time it was Willock getting in on the act as the midfielder slotted home a cut-back from Bellerin - who only seconds earlier had been subbed on.
Not content with that the Gunners added a fourth in the 84th minute as Nelson fired home Calum Chambers’s cross, before Martinelli got the fifth by curling home his second from long range.
Relive the action at the Emirates!
Arsenal: Martinez, Chambers, Holding, Mustafi, Tierney, Torreira, Willock, Nelson, Ozil, Smith-Rowe, Martinelli
Subs: Bellerin, Ceballos, Macey, Saka, Balogun, Bola, Burton
Nottm Forest: Muric, Cash, Tobias Figueiredo, Robinson, Yuri Ribeiro, Tiago Silva, Chema, Lolley, Joao Carvalho, Adomah, Johnson
Subs: Milosevic, Grabban, Smith, Ameobi, Sow, Mighten, Lawrence-Gabriel
Referee: Darren England
