Arsenal's teenage sensation Charlie Patino has described his Gunners debut as the "best day of his life" after he scored within minutes of being introduced.
The Arsenal faithful were immediately excited upon hearing Patino was involved in the match-day squad for the visit of Sunderland in the League Cup quarter-final, though the 18-year-old was to start on the bench.
Mikel Arteta's men raced into an early 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Eddie Nketiah and Nicolas Pepe inside the opening half hour, before Nathan Broadhurst reduced the hosts advantage with a deft chip over Bernd Leno.
Nketiah had bagged another two to ensure he was going home with the match ball by the time Patino was eventually introduced, with Arsenal 4-1 up by the time he came on for a fellow Hale End academy graduate in Emile Smith Rowe.
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Patino came on with 80 minutes already on the clock, leaving the teenager with very little time to make his mark.
However, he found a way - finding space in the opposition penalty area to present a clear passing opportunity for Pepe - who duly found the youngster in the 91st minute.
Despite operating primarily as a midfielder, Patino displayed how he also has a keen eye for goal with a tidy finish via his left foot on the stretch to send those in attendance into raptures.
Straight after the game, Patino took to Instagram to provide an update on how he was feeling to his followers, the feel-good factor astronomically high for every member of the Arsenal faithful having just witnessed one of their own net for the first time.
Patino wrote: "The best day of my life and an early Christmas present.
"Thanks to all the fans for their amazing support, what a night."
The 18-year-old was introduced to proceedings to much anticipation despite never having played a minute of first team football for Arsenal. Patino has long been described as one of the most exciting players to emerge from the Gunners academy.
When factoring in the hotbed of talent that same academy has produced, including current regulars like Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka - that is high praise.
Patino has previously been dubbed as the best player to emerge from Arsenal's youth set-up since fan favourite Jack Wilshere, who boasted a similar playing style.
The 5-1 win ensures Arsenal's progression into the last four of the Carabao Cup, where they can expect a tougher test than the one that Sunderland posed on Tuesday night.
