Speaking after the match, Mikel Arteta explained why he introduced the teenager off the bench.
“It was a feeling that I had yesterday, I don’t know why,” Arteta said at full-time.
“The first day I met him I looked him in his eyes and everyone was telling me about him, Per was telling me about him, and because of the injuries we only have 12 or 13 senior players yesterday to put in the squad and we decided to bring him, and that’s it.
“It’s one step, one experience, so enjoy it and congratulations!
“It’s just one step and all the steps in your career are not forward and you have to know that. You can go forward then backward and then forwards. You fall, you go back – that’s, unfortunately, this industry and the football career of any player.”