Arsenal's teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri has the chance to equal a feat only previously achieved by Wayne Rooney when the Gunners face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Nwaneri has been one of few positives for Mikel Arteta in the past few weeks, as injuries and dropped points have contributed to them falling 11 points off the pace in the race for the title.
It looked as though the Gunners were going to be handed even more bad news too, when Nwaneri limped off in the latter stages of their 1-0 defeat at home to West Ham United at the weekend.
The 17-year-old was withdrawn with 10 minutes remaining, but Arteta confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday that Nwaneri will be available for selection, with the issue being nothing more than muscle cramp.
That will allow the youngster an opportunity to emulate Premier League legend Rooney when Arsenal go to the City Ground under the lights on Wednesday.
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Can Nwaneri match Rooney's 22-year old feat?
Nwaneri was on the scoresheet when Arsenal beat Forest 3-0 in the reverse fixture back in November, adding the late third goal after coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute.
Therefore, Nwaneri now has the chance to become just the second player to score home and away against the same opponents in a Premier League season before turning 18.
The only player to previously accomplish this rare feat was Rooney, who happened to do so against Arsenal in his breakout 2002-03 campaign with Everton.
Rooney's first goal remains an everlasting Premier League memory; a 25-yard injury-time screamer against the reigning champions in a 2-1 victory at Goodison Park, and he would find the net against the Gunners again at Highbury five months later, despite losing 2-1.
Nwaneri's strike against Forest was his first Premier League goal, and the 17-year-old has already netted on the road in the top flight and in the Champions League too, scoring against both Brighton & Hove Albion and Girona.
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The state of play ahead of Arsenal's trip to Forest
Arsenal have an excellent record in this fixture, winning seven of the last eight, but the one exception was a 1-0 defeat at the City Ground in May 2023, which confirmed Nottingham Forest's survival against relegation.
The fact Forest now find themselves just one place behind Arsenal shows how much they have risen since, and how difficult an assignment this will be for the visitors, who are seeking to keep their faint title hopes alive.
Arteta's side also come into the match following their first home defeat of the season at the hands of West Ham United on Saturday, which also ended a 15-game unbeaten run in the Premier League.
Runaway leaders Liverpool also play tomorrow, kicking off against Newcastle United 45 minutes later, with Arteta seriously needing Eddie Howe to do his team a favour at Anfield.
Andrew Delaney
