"I thought he was fantastic" - Wayne Rooney hails 'incredible' Arsenal teenager as Gunners defeat PSV 7-1 in UCL clash

Manchester United legend and pundit Wayne Rooney has praised Arsenal starlet Ethan Nwaneri for his display in his side's big win over PSV Eindhoven. The 17-year-old midfielder was on the scoresheet for the Gunners as they won 7-1 away from home against the Dutch outfit.

Nwaneri, 17, has forced his way into the thinking of England boss Thomas Tuchel and was in the thick of things at Eindhoven as his side won 7-1. The youngster has become a regular for his side and has featured from the start against PSV.

A wonder-kid back in the day, Wayne Rooney spoke via Amazon Prime and was full of praise for Nwaneri after his contribution to the game. The former forward praised the teenager for playing without fear and for his bravery on the ball at this level of competition.

“I thought Ethan Nwaneri was incredible. At 17-years-old, to play in the knockout stages of the Champions League, to show his flair, his ability, his willingness to get shots off, I thought he was fantastic.”

Ethan Nwaneri combined with fellow breakout star Myles Lewis-Skelly to give Arsenal a 2-0 lead in the first half. The England U-19 international was on the pitch for 71 minutes before Raheem Sterling was sent on in his place.

Nwaneri completed just six passes and attempted four shots during the game, winning half of his ground duels. The youngster has now scored eight times across all competitions this season, with two of those coming in the UEFA Champions League.

Arsenal reach seventh heaven in PSV thrashing

Arsenal were just too good for Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, claiming a 7-1 win away from home to put one foot in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. The Gunners won the first leg of their Round of 16 clash against the Dutch outfit at their Philips Stadion home.

Dutchman Jurrien Timber opened the scoring for Arsenal 18 minutes before Ethan Nwaneri and Mikel Merino put the Gunners 3-0 up by the 31st minute. Noa Lang pulled one back for the home side from the penalty spot just before the break.

Two minutes into the second half, Martin Odegaard scored for the Gunners, who scored another through Leandro Trossard just a minute later. Odegaard scored his side's sixth after 73 minutes before Riccardo Calafiori scored his side's seventh in the 85th minute.

Arsenal became the first team in Champions League history to score seven goals away from home in a knockout tie. They handed PSV a third successive defeat and ensured their record reads one win in seven.