Nelson's goal sends Arsenal into the Carabao Cup fourth round

Arsenal advanced to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 victory against Brentford on Wednesday.

The opening goal came just eight minutes into the match when Zanka made a mistake with a back pass to Ethan Pinnock. Eddie Nketiah intercepted the ball and unselfishly passed it to Reiss Nelson, who calmly finished from 12 yards out.

The Gunners came close to doubling their lead in the 30th minute when Emile Smith Rowe navigated through several Brentford defenders, but his attempt at the near post was thwarted by Mark Flekken.

The hosts had a golden opportunity to level when Christian Norgaard maneuvered past Arsenal's defense and set up Yoane Wissa with a superbly curved pass, but the striker's shot went wide.

In the second half, Brentford intensified their pressure and struck the post through Wissa, with Aaron Ramsdale making a slight touch on his strike from outside the box.

A quick counter-attack led to Nelson almost securing a second goal, as he met Kai Havertz's low cross but narrowly missed the target.

Ramsdale played a crucial role in preserving Arsenal's lead with a low punch to deflect a half-volley from Frank Onyeka. 

Takehiro Tomiyasu also made a vital block to deny Saman Ghoddos from a subsequent throw-in, and although Zanka found the net, the offside flag was raised.

With less than ten minutes left in the game, Jakub Kiwior made a superb defensive play to block Keane Lewis-Potter's shot off the line. 

Thomas Frank's men couldn't find the equaliser, and Arsenal secured their place in the next round of the tournament.