Ben White struck a Port Vale groundsman with a shot during Arsenal’s warm-up as the Gunners appeared to be targeted by some pre-match gamesmanship — but Mikel Arteta’s side still cruised into the next round of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win.
The incident occurred as Arsenal’s starting XI ran through their shooting drills on the edge of the penalty area at Vale Park.
Several members of the ground staff were busy plugging divots just outside the box where the players were working, forcing White’s strike to clip one of them - in footage obtained by The Sun.
Bukayo Saka was then seen approaching one of the workers for a brief exchange before walking away with a shrug.
Any attempt to rattle the visitors failed to have the desired effect.
Arsenal flew out of the blocks and were rewarded within eight minutes when Eberechi Eze scored his first goal for the club.
The £60million summer signing found space in the box and finished calmly, setting the tone for a largely dominant performance from Arteta’s much-changed team.
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Ben White struck a Port Vale groundsman with a shot during Arsenal’s warm-up as the Gunners appeared to be targeted by some pre-match gamesmanship — but Mikel Arteta’s side still cruised into the next round of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win
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Speaking afterwards, Eze admitted the goal meant a lot.
“It’s a special day to get my first goal and to win,” he said.
“It was just about finding that pocket of space, getting the shot away quickly, and I’m glad it came off. The most important thing was reaching the next round.”
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Eberechi Eze celebrates scoring for Arsenal in their Carabao Cup win over Port Vale
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Arsenal’s superiority continued throughout the first half, with Vale rarely threatening Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was making his debut in goal for the Gunners.
The result was put beyond doubt late on when Leandro Trossard finished clinically after being picked out by an inch-perfect pass from William Saliba.
Arteta praised his squad’s depth and the professionalism of his players despite making nine changes from the weekend’s Premier League line-up.
“We started really well, scored early and created several big chances,” he said.
“In the second half we lost a bit of control with their direct play, but the substitutions helped us regain momentum and we finished strongly. The clean sheet,
“Kepa’s debut, and the impact from the bench — all very pleasing.”
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Leandro Trossard scored Arsenal's second goal in their Carabao Cup win over Port Vale
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He also singled out Trossard’s goal for praise.
“It was a quality move. The timing of the run, the weight of William’s pass and the finish were top class,” Arteta added.
The victory keeps Arsenal’s hopes of domestic silverware alive and demonstrated the strength of their second string, with several fringe players staking a claim for more minutes in the weeks ahead.
The Gunners will return to action on Sunday when they lock horns with Newcastle at St James' Park.
Eddie Howe's side also won in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, with braces from Joelinton and William Osula firing them to a 4-1 victory over Bradford City.