Arsenal secured a semi-final berth at the Carabao Cup after thumping Sunderland 5-1 in the quarterfinals at the Emirates stadium.
Mikel Arteta, as always, fielded a relatively young side against the Black cats; the latest beneficiary of his managerial routine being 18-year old academy player Charlie Patino.
With Arsenal already in the driving seat thanks to a hattrick by Edward Nketiah, the score remained poised at 4-1, and Arteta saw an opportunity to give a professional debut to the unknown wonderkid.
Funnily enough, however, the vast majority of supporters inside the stadium seemed to know the debutant already, singing a song prepared for the occasion even before Patino had walked onto the pitch.
patino had a song before he stepped on the pitch😭
— mtrnica (@MTRNICA) December 21, 2021
‘Oh, Charlie Patino!’, sung to the tune of ‘Seven Nation Army’ by The White Stripes, belted the 50,000 plus supporters as the 18-year-old playmaker made his entrance, coming off the bench for Emile Rowe Smith.
Patino starboy confirmed pic.twitter.com/Iqb2E6e60A
— mungz™ ©® (@somemusicguys) December 21, 2021
And perhaps invigorated by the support, Patino gave a glimpse of his genius just ten minutes into his debut by scoring a stoppage-time goal to finish off a dreamlike beginning to his career.
Chants of ‘Oh, Charlie Patino’ pervaded Emirates even at full time, as Arsenal faithful continued to profess their delight at the teenager’s breakthrough performance till the end.
The north London outfit brought Patino from Luton Town for a minimal fee of £10,000 back in 2015, and if his debut performance is anything to go, it seems like an astute investment, as far as the Gunners are concerned.
Arsenal have already produced a number of young talents who are lighting up the Premier League this season, and it’s only a matter of time before Patino’s name is featured on the list.
