A strong second-half display saw Arsenal beat Brighton 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium to reach the last eight of the EFL Cup.

After a nervy first period, Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka found the back of the net for the Gunners, while impressive performances from Piero Hincapie and Kepa Arrizabalaga saw them keep another clean sheet.

The Gunners struggled to find their rhythm after Mikel Arteta made 10 changes from their victory against Crystal Palace on Sunday, and Brighton were left wondering how they were not ahead at the break.

Stefanos Tzimas and Georginio Rutter both missed one-on-one opportunities against Kepa, while the goalkeeper also denied a long-range effort from Carlos Baleba before Jan Paul van Hecke failed to hit the target with a close-range header.

And the Seagulls were made to pay for their wastefulness in front of goal when the hosts went ahead in the 57th minute. Mikel Merino played Myles Lewis-Skelly into the box with a backheel pass, and the left-back squared it to Nwaneri, who found the bottom-right corner with a first-time finish.

Arteta's side looked far more comfortable in the match after taking the lead, with Eberechi Eze seeing a shot blocked before Merino's header was stopped by Jason Steele, but Saka found the net five minutes after coming on to secure the win for Arsenal.

Data Debrief: Youngsters provide the goods for Arteta

Although Arsenal kept a sixth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions, Fabian Hurzeler will be disappointed in his Brighton side's display in the final third.

The Seagulls produced 1.53 expected goals (xG) from 18 shots, while Arsenal accumulated 1.19 from 16 attempts.

It was also a memorable night for Max Dowman, who became the youngest player to start a match for a Premier League side in all competitions (15 years, 302 days), and the first player to do so before the age of 16.

Nwaneri, meanwhile, scored his first of the season for Arsenal and his fourth overall in six EFL Cup appearances for the Gunners.