Mikel Arteta made nine changes from the team knocked out of the Europa League by Olympiakos. But a youthful Arsenal line-up rewarded him with a bounce back win at plucky Portsmouth thanks to goals from Sokratis and Eddie Nketiah.
Arteta said: “The kids responded really well. I was pleased with the energy. I enjoy working with them. “They fully deserved the chance.
I know it’s a risk to play them in this competition but they are worth the risk. I had no doubts about playing them. “Some of them have probably never played in an atmosphere like this before and that will be a good lesson for them. “We were expecting them to make us work hard.
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