Hello and welcome to
Sports Mole's live text coverage of the
EFL Cup fourth-round tie between
Arsenal and
Norwich City at the Emirates Stadium. The Canaries have hit a rich vein of form since the beginning of September, going nine games unbeaten in all competitions and winning five in a row away from home. Backed by 9,000 travelling supporters this evening, could we have a potential upset on our hands?
Gunners boss
Arsene Wenger will certainly hope now, as this is a competition that has so far eluded him in terms of major honours during his 21-year reign in North London. Twice his side have reached the final; twice they have fallen just short, going down to Chelsea and Birmingham City in 2007 and 2011 respectively. With their Premier League aspirations already taking a big hit, success in the cup competitions may provide the best route for success.
ARSENAL TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Macey; Debuchy, Elneny, Holding; Nelson, Coquelin, Wilshere, Maitland-Niles; Walcott, Iwobi; Giroud
SUBS: Iliev, Osei-Tutu, Sheaf, Dasilva, Willock, Nketiah, Akpom
A whole raft of changes made by Wenger, as expected, using the cup competitions as a chance to give some of his younger players and those on the fringes a chance to impress. One of the biggest selection calls the Frenchman had to make this evening was between the sticks, where he has opted to turn to academy product Matt Macey, rather than once again using Petr Cech as was the case against Red Star Belgrade. Back-up stopper David Ospina remains a couple of weeks away from a return.
As well as being without Ospina tonight, Shkodran Mustafi, Danny Welbeck and Calum Chambers are also absent and unlikely to return this side of the international break. One man who appears to have put his injury problems to one side, however, is full-back Mathieu Debuchy, who fresh on the back of playing the full 90 minutes against Red Star Belgrade five days ago comes in for just a second appearance in 11 months.
Jack Wilshere comes back into the starting lineup, meanwhile, having been used from the bench for the first time this season in the Premier League at the weekend. Wenger has made a couple of tweaks to the side that featured in Serbia last week, bringing in Alex Iwobi and Macey for Joe Willock and Cech. It is still a strong-looking side, even if it is somewhat experimental, but will it be enough to get the job done against a very much in-form Norwich side?
NORWICH CITY TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Gunn; Pinto, Zimmermann, Klose, Husband; Reed, Trybull; Vrancic, Maddison, Murphy; Oliveira
SUBS: McGovern, Martin, Jerome, Hoolahan, Wildschut, Stiepermann, Franke
In terms of the visitors, manager
Daniel Farke - a man making a name for himself in the English second tier much in the same way as David Wagner did - has made four changes on the back of the 1-0 win over rivals Ipswich Town at the weekend. Jim Husband, Mario Vrancic,
Josh Murphy and Nelson Oliveira all come back into the side, with the latter shaking off a troublesome injury problem to feature from the off.
Seeing Oliveira in the starting lineup is a little surprising considering the bleak update provided by the club a couple of days ago, but he is given a chance to shine in North London, taking over from prolific second-tier scorer Cameron Jerome up top. Christophe Zimmerman was also a slight doubt after picking up an injury in the East Anglia derby at Portman Road a couple of days back, but he has also managed to recover in time for this big cup tie.
Russell Martin is a welcome inclusion on the bench, having featured just seven times this season and not at all since the end of August. Farke named a similarly-strong XI against both Charlton Athletic and Brentford in the previous two rounds, meaning that his side are on course to make it a hat-trick of successes against London-based clubs. Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur academy product Alex Pritchard is one a few long-term injury absentees, while Marley Watkins completes a three-game ban.
Arsene Wenger has made 11 changes to his starting lineup on the back of the 5-2 win over Everton at the weekend. That match was played a little over 48 hours ago, so no great surprise to see him completely shake things up for this fourth-round tie, but Daniel Farke has largely stuck with the same group that beat Ipswich Town on the same day - just four changes made by the German.
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The Gunners aiming to win this competition for the first time under Wenger, then, having only made it as far as the final on two occasions. Thirteen games into the campaign and already the domestic and European cups appear to be their best bet to end the season on a high, with the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City already standing at nine points ahead of the meeting between the two sides in just under a fortnight's time. Lose that and it will likely be goodnight.
Arsenal beat Doncaster Rovers 1-0 here in the last round, just about getting the job done through a Danny Welbeck goal, and this is another winnable fixture for Wenger's men. It is a step up in quality, though, and Norwich boast some decent, Premier League-level players in their ranks. Making wholesale changes is therefore a risk on Wenger's behalf, knowing that any sort of defeat tonight - even in a cup at the bottom of his priorities - will see the fans once again turn.
As well as progressing to round four of the EFL Cup thanks to that win over Doncaster a little over a month ago, Arsenal have also won three from three in the Europa League and look almost certain to progress through to the bloated knockout stages as group winners. The FA Cup has been very kind to the Gunners in recent years, meanwhile, winning it three times in four years, and that is surely a competition that Wenger will be eyeing up already.
The 1993 winners were knocked out by Southampton last season and have also suffered defeats to Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford City in recent years, so Norwich will no doubt fancy their chances tonight. Arsenal head into this match on the back of a big away victory over Everton at the weekend, running riot in attack with their three star players - Alexander Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez - on the pitch together for the first time. Not one of XI that started at Goodison Park does so today, though.
That win, coupled with a late victory in Belgrade last week, does at least mean that the feel-good factor is back for now, however, as Arsenal aim to push on and add some more silverware to their collection. The costly defeat to Watford showed that the frailties of old are certainly there, as pointed out by opposition skipper Troy Deeney at full time, though eight wins from 10 in all competitions since going down 4-0 to Liverpool is not bad going.
With Red Star to come in the Europa League a week on Thursday, Arsenal have a good chance to get the job done by progressing through to the knockout stages, giving Wenger a chance to fully focus on the EFL Cup - if they are still in it - and the Premier League. Not that it entirely matters on that front, though, as the Frenchman has made quite clear that both those competitions will be used to give his 'second side' a run-out.
Arsenal take on Swansea City in the Premier League at the weekend, so there is a real chance for the Gunners to build up some momentum heading into their huge double-header against title challengers Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur either side of the two-week break. Come this time next month we will have a clearer indicator as to whether Wenger's men do indeed 'lack cojones', or whether the Premier League title is yet again too much for aim for.
All focus right now is on simply progressing to the latter stages of the EFL Cup and Europa League, with the FA Cup not getting under way until the start of the New Year. Wenger will very much be hoping that his side are still fighting on four fronts come the end of January, which should be more than enough to ensure that aggrieved supporters stay off his back. Exit a couple of those cups, however, and all of a sudden the same questions - asked year after year - will come to the fore.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Arsenal have lost one of their last 17 meetings with Norwich City, stretching back to August 1992 - a 1-0 defeat at Carrow Road five years ago. The Gunners have since won four and drawn one, all coming in the Premier League, with the most recent encounter a 1-0 victory here in April 2016 through a Danny Welbeck strike. The Englishman is one of a number of players to miss out tonight due to an injury problem.
Norwich make the trip to North London under very little pressure, having found their feet under boss Daniel Farke to climb into the top six of the Championship. Earning promotion back to the big time remains the top target for the Canaries, though they were never likely to make wholesale changes tonight for what is a plum draw. City, backed by 9,000 fans tonight, have already seen off three sides to make it this far, so they have some momentum on their side.
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Farke's charges beat Swindon Town 3-2 and Charlton Athletic 4-1 at Carrow Road in rounds one and two, before overcoming Brentford 3-1 at Griffin Park last time out. It leaves the Canaries with an impressive overall record under their German boss since he took charge in the summer, winning nine and drawing four of their first 16 games. They only started to find form in early September, however, putting a nine-match unbeaten run together since then.
That run began on the back of a 4-0 reverse at the hands of Millwall, leaving Norwich in the relegation zone come the end of the opening month of the Championship campaign. Rivals Ipswich occupied a top-two spot, meanwhile, kept off the summit by Cardiff City, but it has been a contrast in fortunes pretty much ever since as the Canaries now occupy a playoff spot thanks to their 1-0 win over the Tractor Boys a couple of days back.
Eighteen points from a possible 24 in the league, and five victories in a row on their travels in all competitions, also provides further confidence of an upset being possible tonight. Norwich have some big games coming up in the league, hosting Derby County and Wolves over the next week, before then travelling to strugglers Bolton Wanderers in their last outing before the two-week international break.
Like Arsenal, Norwich have also lifted the EFL Cup - in its various guises - on two occasions, while also reaching the final twice. Not since 1987 have they made it all the way, though, so a run deep into the competition will be welcomed by those in attendance at the Emirates Stadium tonight. Defeat would be no shame, meanwhile, but against a Gunners side showing so many changes, they will hope to push their opponents all the way.
With kickoff at the Emirates Stadium now exactly 10 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Arsene Wenger: "I always used this cup to give a chance to young boys. We went to the final with a very young team and nearly won it [in 2007 and 2011]. I always focus on winning trophies in the Premier League and FA Cup domestically, and always used the League Cup as an education for our young players. But with this team I have the squad to go further, so let's see. I will continue to rotate my squad. I've gone into that rotation policy and afterwards you have to continue to do it, especially when both teams work well and both teams support each other at the moment."
Daniel Farke: "There is no pressure on us because 19 times out of 20, Arsenal would go through to the next round. There is always that one time though - and that time is special. I like situations where people don't expect you to create special moments. We've won our last five away games and that gives us confidence. It is a big task, but I'm concentrated on bringing the best result back to Norwich City. We are full of respect for Arsenal, but we want to beat them. That's our topic and what we are trying to do - we are looking to create something special."
Wenger confirming that the EFL Cup is very much at the bottom of his list of priorities, then, with the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League - not necessarily in that order in terms of the latter two - coming first. The Frenchman is right to point out that he now has a much stronger group of players to choose from when it comes to rotating, with Wilshere and Giroud both good enough to get into most Premier League sides, while Walcott tends to take his chance when it arrives.
Those three players in particular will be hoping that another impressive display tonight will be enough to tempt Wenger into throwing them into the mix for next weekend's clash against Swansea, though with Red Star to come in the Europa League in nine days' time he is unlikely to change things for now. The youngsters also have a chance to shine, with Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles - the former being played out of position at right-wing back - two to watch tonight.
"We are looking to create something special" is the message from Farke, as he attempts to pull off a big upset. The German coach, who has experience working with Borussia Dortmund's B side, much in the same way as David Wagner before him, has adapted well to the demands of English football and knows just what a cup run means to supporters. The league will always come first, there is no denying that, but getting to the quarters of any competition is a serious achievement.
Both sets of players have now made their way down the tunnel area, with kickoff just a couple of minutes away. Arsenal have made 11 changes to their side on the back of the 5-2 win against Everton at the weekend, meaning a start in goal for Matt Macey, while visiting side Norwich City make four alterations from their 1-0 East Anglia derby triumph - James Husband, Mario Vrancic, Josh Murphy and Nelson Oliveira coming in for Cameron Jerome, Yanic Wildschut, Marco Stiepermann and Wes Hoolahan.
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KICKOFF! Norwich City get us up and running in North London, backed by a sea of yellow behind one of the goals. Theo Walcott is captaining Arsenal this evening, incidentally, as they look to make it three wins in a row.
Both teams seeing a fair bit of the ball in the early stages, but the game is mainly being played in midfield. Six wins from six for the Gunners in front of their home supporters this term, incidentally, including the 1-0 triumph over Doncaster in round three of this competition.
Nelson gives the ball away down the right but quickly wins it back. The youngster then looked to charge down the flank, only to be halted by Murphy, meaning a free kick from deep for Wilshere to swing into Angus Gunn's welcoming hands.
A first serious attack of the match for Norwich culminates in a corner kick being won. It was not dealt with well and the ball eventually found its way to Josh Murphy, who scuffed his shot from a tight angle around 15 yards from goal.
Very little between the two sides at the moment, with nine minutes played at the Emirates Stadium. Norwich do well to play the ball out of danger and Pinto had some space to run into, only to overhit the ball for the attack to come to an end.
The home fans starting to make some noise now, cancelling out the large away following brought down from Suffolk. Still awaiting the first serious attacking move of the cup tie, with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs.
It has been a slow start to the match, to put it kindly, with neither side really managing to keep hold of the ball. That is to be expected with a combined 15 changes being made by both managers, though there is still plenty of quality on the field.
Good play from Maitland-Niles down the left to get into the box, with the ball eventually being pulled back to Iwobi 20 yards out. The Nigeria international got behind the ball a little too much and sent it well over the crossbar.
The space opened up for Iwobi inside the box but he opted to pull the ball back rather than go for goal himself - the wrong choice, as Husband was there to intercept. Arsenal just starting to find their feet a little over the past few minutes.
SHOT! The game is starting to liven up a little now, as Mario Vrancic has just scuffed a shot wide of goal when he had plenty of options either side of him. That levels up the shot count, at least, with the two sides needing to find their range.
SAVE! Elneny with what looked like a hopeless shot from range, though as it turned out the ball took a deflection on its way through and a corner is won. Holding got his head to it and Gunn superbly turned it over the bar.
That really was a top save from Gunn to keep out Holding, who looked certain to find the back of the net when getting his head to the ball five yards out. That first attempt on target has at least woken the home supporters up!
No doubt that Arsenal are the side on top in the opening quarter of the match, but they are only just starting to enjoy some sustained pressure. Norwich look at their liveliest when on the counter, though they have been given few chances to stretch their legs so far.
Giroud had a penalty shout waved away a few minutes ago when seemingly pulled down in the box, though replays have confirmed the referee's view that there was too little in it to point to the spot. Still goalless with 27 minutes played here.
Second-tier Norwich continuing to look very solid at the back, with the game scoreless as we reach the 30-minute mark. Just the one chance so far - Gunn doing brilliantly to help Holding's close-range header over the crossbar.
Wilshere, looking frustrated, goes in strong on Tom Trybull but avoids picking up a yellow card. Another wayward effort from the Gunners, as they resort to trying their luck from range once again. Walcott and Giroud yet to really get into the game.
GOAL! ARSENAL 0-1 NORWICH CITY (JOSH MURPHY)
A fine Norwich goal gives us the breakthrough moment in North London, as James Maddison slots the ball clean through for Josh Murphy to delicately loft over the outrushing Matt Macey. We are on course for an upset at the Emirates Stadium!
That is now four goals in four EFL Cup games for Murphy, who kept his composure to finish when the game's first real chance arrived. Moments before that breakthrough goal, Maitland-Niles was kept out in a routine manner by Gunn at the other end.
Arsenal, still yet to create anything in the opening 38 minutes, now have it all to do. Norwich looking the livelier of the two sides since taking the lead, in fact, with their latest counter-attacking move ending in the final third of the field.
SAVE! What a huge moment in the match this could prove to be. Oliveira curls the ball towards the bottom corner of the net, but Macey did superbly to get down to his left and push the ball aside. Home fans growing restless already.
SAVE! Norwich showing no real signs of sitting back on this one-goal lead, instead aiming to build on it. Oliveira very nearly saw his side rewarded, only for Macey to pull off a top save. Gunn has now denied Walcott with a simple enough stop.
Arsenal win a corner late in the half, which Gunn is there to collect. No real sign of Arsenal finding a way through before the interval, with Walcott's weak shot down low their best attempt since falling behind 34 minutes in.
HALF TIME: ARSENAL 0-1 NORWICH CITY
Walcott attempted to catch out Gunn from pretty much the final act of the first half, seeing his curled shot from an angle easily dealt with in the end. It is Norwich City who lead Arsenal at the midway point, then, thanks to a well-taken chipped finish from Josh Murphy 11 minutes before the interval.
Neither side could muster a serious shooting chance in a quiet start to the match, with the first attempt arriving via the boot of Alex Iwobi 20 minutes in. The Nigeria international fired well over the bar, while up the other end Mario Vrancic dragged wide when he had options better positioned either side of him.
Norwich had goalkeeper Angus Gunn to thank for not falling behind two minutes later, as he produced a super close-range save to keep out Rob Holding's header. Heading into the match on the back of a nine-match unbeaten run, and with five-successive away victories to their name in all competitions, Norwich were managing to match their opponents all over the field when the breakthrough moment arrived.
James Maddison, the
derby-day hero against Ipswich Town at the weekend, slotted a perfectly weighted through-ball for Josh Murphy to latch on to, with the winger dinking the ball over the outrushing Matt Macey to make it four goals in four EFL Cup games this season. City could easily have had two soon after, only for Macey to this time produce a top save to push aside a curled effort from Nelson Oliveira.
Theo Walcott was thwarted by Gunn with a couple of weak shots at the end of the half, as Arsenal went into the break a goal behind. Plenty for Arsene Wenger to think about at the break, then - will he change things around for the second half or instead stick with his current XI until the hour mark?
ARSENAL SUBS: Iliev, Osei-Tutu, Sheaf, Dasilva, Willock, Nketiah, Akpom
NORWICH CITY SUBS: McGovern, Martin, Jerome, Hoolahan, Wildschut, Stiepermann, Franke
© Getty Images
RESTART! Arsenal, a goal down with 45 minutes of the match to play, get us back under way at the Emirates Stadium. Extra time to be played this evening if required, remember, as well as penalties if they are needed.
Neither manager made any changes at the break, incidentally, which is not entirely surprising when looking at the Gunners' back-up options - six out of seven of them being teenagers. The other, Chuba Akpom, has yet to score a senior goal for the club.
Iwobi with a shocker of a shot, which eventually goes straight out for a goal kick. Norwich have barely been troubled since edging in front, with Walcott having a couple of tame attempts kept out towards the end of the first half.
Giroud sends a header well over the bar as the hosts continue to struggle in front of goal. Wilshere was then hesitant to strike the ball and, when eventually doing so, he saw his attempt blocked from just inside the opposition box.
Oliveira's turn to have a dismal attempt at goal, barely reaching Macey with his shot from all of 30 yards. A replay from that earlier blocked shot from Wilshere shows that it hit a hand, but it was never going to result in a penalty.
The first 11 minutes of the second half have pretty much flown by, which will suit Norwich just fine. They have still come under little pressure and, unfortunately for the hosts, they do not really have anyone on the bench to help them turn the game.
YELLOW CARD! Big call for the referee to make, as Elneny deliberately brings Oliveira down when the last man. Holding was nearly back to cover but the Norwich man would have had a clean shot on goal, so that should have been a red.
SAVES! Murphy ghosts in around the back to get on the end of Ivo Pinto's cross, which Macey was equal to. From the next attack, the Arsenal keeper this time denied the winger from a different angle. Iwobi's shot then struck Klose right in the face.
This match is very gripping now, with Arsenal seeing a fair bit of the ball on the edge of the opposition box. Norwich look so dangerous when breaking, though, and will argue that they perhaps deserve to be a couple of goals ahead at this point.
Walcott frustratingly flagged for offside after misting his run. There was a stoppage in play before that for Maitland-Niles to receive some treatment, during which time Farke was deep in conversation with a few of his players on the touchline.
YELLOW CARD! This is a bizarre one. Coquelin goes in strong on Maddison but somehow avoided a booking, instead getting away with a little talking to. The referee then went over to Maddison, saw the extent of the damage and booked Coquelin!
SHOT! Norwich may rue not taking these chances. Pinto did well to charge down the right, showing all the energy in the world, before picking out Oliveira unmarked inside the area. The shot ended high over the bar - again.
ARSENAL SUB! Wenger makes his first chance of the night, bringing on the most experienced of his back-up options in Chuba Akpom. Maitland-Niles is the player to make way with 20 minutes of the contest left to play.
CHANCE! Murphy scored the game's only goal with a deft flick over Macey in the first half but, given the chance to do so for a second time, he wasted his big chance by lifting it over the crossbar. That will be his last involvement - Marco Stiepermann is now on.
CHANCE! How on earth Norwich are not a couple of goals ahead I do not know. Vrancic with a glorious chance to put the game to bed, cutting inside but blasting wide of the target when he had two teammates completely unmarked alongside him.
Arsenal have not lost to lower-league opposition at home in the EFL Cup since Nov 1983 against Walsall, winning 26 of the last 29 contests, but they are on the brink of losing here. Walcott curls wide as they go in search of a leveller.
YELLOW CARD! There are now just 12 minutes to go at the Emirates Stadium and Norwich look good value for their lead. Wilshere is cautioned for his late challenge near the touchline, joining Elneny and Coquelin in the referee's notebook.
Wilshere with a decent chipped delivery towards the back post, which none of his teammates could get on the end of. Can only remember Giroud having one header all evening, in fact, when sending the ball high over the bar from a deep free kick.
Norwich's two centre-backs get in a bit of a muddle and Walcott nearly took advantage, heading onto the roof of the net. We are now into the final 10 minutes at the Emirates Stadium and the pressure is perhaps beginning to tell.
Norwich get every player back behind the ball to defend an Arsenal corner, which goes deeper towards Holding back comes to nothing. Still time for Arsenal to find a response and force extra time - likely around 10 minutes with added time included.
GOAL! ARSENAL 1-1 NORWICH CITY (EDDIE NKETIAH)
Incredible! Wenger turned to 18-year-old Nketiah for his second change of the evening and, less than 30 seconds later, he was prodding the ball over the line from close range. The corner was flicked on and the sub was in the right place at the right time - what an introduction!
Cruel on Norwich, who really should have put the game to bed long before that Nketiah leveller. It looks likely as though we will now play a further 30 minutes of extra time at the Emirates Stadium, unless one of the 20 outfield players can win it.
YELLOW CARD! Akpom becomes the fourth Arsenal player to see yellow, moments before Tom Trybull cynically brought down a counter-attacking Wilshere to join his opposite number in the referee's book. Then some late drama, as Gunn made himself big to keep out Wilshere from five yards.
NORWICH CITY SUBS! Arsenal very much the side on top now, revived by that late leveller. Wilshere denied by Gunn and then a free kick from the edge of the box was squandered. Vrancic and Maddison off; Wildschut and Hoolahan on for the visitors.
END OF 90 MINUTES: ARSENAL 1-1 NORWICH CITY
Akpom with a chance to win it right at the end, only to drag his effort wide of the target from six yards out. Extra time now awaits at the Emirates Stadium following a gripping second half; the sides sharing a 1-1 draw in the end thanks to a
Eddie Nketiah goal to cancel out Josh Murphy's earlier strike.
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KICKOFF! Norwich, very unfortunate not to come away with the victory in normal time, get us back up and running in North London. It was all Arsenal after Nketiah's close-range strike, but Norwich brought on a couple of pairs of fresh legs in the 92nd minute ahead of extra time.
Farke has used three of his subs now, while Wenger still has two available to him. The Frenchman will be hoping that the next player off the bench has a similar sort of impact as Nketiah, whose goal has set up this additional period.
Norwich work the corner well to Husband, who could not quite find a route through to goal with his shot. A very quiet Emirates Stadium at the moment, which is considerably less full than it was at the end of the 90 minutes.
GOAL! ARSENAL 2-1 NORWICH CITY (EDDIE NKETIAH)
How about this! Nketiah, brought off the bench with six minutes of normal time left to play, has bagged his second goal of the game. The 18-year-old forward climbed highest to nod the ball past Gunn, shortly after Walcott was denied from a good position.
"Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!" is the chant around the Emirates Stadium now, as Arsenal sit on a one-goal lead for the first time today. Norwich looked so impressive when ahead but they have offered little since being pegged back late in normal time.
Arsenal are full of energy now, moving through the gears and looking likely to net a third of the evening before the first half of extra time is over. Until they do so, this match is still very much in the balance. Farke readying a fourth "bonus" sub.
NORWICH CITY SUB! Cameron Jerome is introduced, taking over from Harrison Reed. Gunn makes another save to keep out Giroud, with Arsenal desperate to net a killer third of the contest before the ref brings the half to an end.
HALF TIME IN EXTRA TIME: ARSENAL 2-1 NORWICH CITY
Wenger made his third change late in the first half of extra time, bringing on Josh Dasilva for Iwobi. Just 15 more minutes for Arsenal to hold on; 15 minutes for Norwich City to bag a leveller and pave the way for penalties. Is there enough time for one more late twist?
RESTART! After a two-minute break, Arsenal get us back under way at the Emirates Stadium. Eddie Nketiah's brace either side of full time has turned this game on its head, with the Gunners now on the brink of a place in round five.
Arsenal started the second period of extra time on top, but Norwich have started to show a little more attacking impetus in the last minute or so. It really would be quite something if the Canaries found a way through in the remaining 12 minutes here.
SAVE! Nketiah charges through on goal but, with the angle slightly against him, he could not get the better of Gunn - good shot and a good save. Norwich are soon up the other end and winning a corner, which they fail to make the most of.
PENALTY APPEAL! Arsenal, and Debuchy in particular, has got away with one here. Husband got away from the Frenchman inside the box, but he could not get a shot or cross away as he was subsequently brought down. Looked to be a stonewall pen.
Willock with half a chance to seal the win, but he absolutely belted the ball high over the crossbar from 19 yards out - should have tested Gunn, at the very least. The Gunners now getting plenty of men behind the ball, with six minutes to go.
Norwich will end the match with 10 men by the looks of things as Trybull has picked up an injury and all four changes have been made. Time fast ticking down for the Canaries to snatch a late leveller now, much like their opponents did in normal time.
Nketiah could be in line for a start against Red Star next week at this rate, as he comes close to a hat-trick goal. Norwich still attacking themselves, but Macey fortunately collects the ball at the second attempt - luck very much on his side.
FULL TIME: ARSENAL 2-1 NORWICH CITY AET
Referee Andy Madley, who Norwich City boss Daniel Farke will likely blame for this defeat, blows his whistle for full time. A match that started so slow, with no real attempts in the first 20 minutes, turned out to be a real thriller in the end. Plenty of drama at the Emirates Stadium, with 18-year-old forward Eddie Nketiah proving to be the two-goal hero in the end.
That concludes
Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at the Emirates Stadium. An on-the-whistle report can be found by
clicking here, while a recap of all the night's other results - plus reaction - can be found elsewhere on the site. Thanks for joining!