Fifteen-year-old Ethan Nwaneri became the youngest player in Premier League history when he came on as a substitute for Arsenal as they returned to the top of the Premier League with a comfortable 3-0 win at Brentford on Sunday.
Nwaneri, who is 15 years and 181 days old, came on in the second minute of stoppage time, the first player under 16 to play in the competition. Harvey Elliott, now at Liverpool, previously held the record at 16 years and 30 days when he played for Fulham in 2019.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: “He has trained a couple of times with us and I had a feeling yesterday that if the opportunity came I would do it.
“I think it sends a strong message about who we are as a club. I told him yesterday he would be with us and he had to be ready. He is ready. When he went on I said: ‘Congratulations and enjoy it.’
“We want to give opportunities. When there is talent and personality and when players love what they do, and when they have no fear, the doors are open for them to explore where they can go.
Quick GuideBefore Nwaneri: the youngest players to feature in England's top flight since 1992
VIDEO: Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri becomes the youngest Premier League player at age 15
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Harvey Elliott (Fulham) 16 years, 30 days
The midfielder came off the bench during Fulham's 1-0 loss at Wolves in May 2019. He made one other brief appearance for the Cottagers that season before moving to Liverpool, where he has played 14 times in the Premier League.
Matthew Briggs (Fulham) 16 years, 65 days
The left-back became the Premier League's youngest ever player in Fulham's 3-1 defeat at Middlesbrough in May 2007. He made 29 appearances for the Cottagers. Since leaving permanently in 2015 he has played for a number of clubs in the English lower leagues and Denmark and currently plays for Gosport Borough.
Isaiah Brown (West Brom) 16 years, 117 days
The midfielder, now 19, made his top-flight debut for Albion as a late substitute in their 3-2 loss at home to Wigan in May 2013. He joined Chelsea that summer but only made one substitute appearance for the Blues' first team. He joined Preston in 2021 but was released this year following an injury-hit campaign and is currently without a club.
Aaron Lennon (Leeds) 16 years, 129 days
At the time, the winger became the youngest Premier League player when he came off the bench for Leeds at Tottenham in a 2-1 loss in August 2003. Moved to Spurs two years later and he went on to win 21 England caps. After 10 years at White Hart Lane, Lennon joined Everton in 2015. He has since had two spells with Burnley either side of a year playing in Turkey, but is currently a free agent.
Jose Baxter (Everton) 16 years, 191 days
A 3-2 home defeat to Blackburn in 2008 saw Baxter make his Everton debut as a 78th-minute substitute. He made 13 substitute appearances and two starts before leaving for Oldham in 2012. In July 2015 he was suspended by the FA for failing an out-of-competition drugs test while at Sheffield United, who then suspended him in 2016 for an unspecified reason. He rejoined Everton and then Oldham, before signing for Plymouth in 2019. He retired aged 29 in 2021, after a year playing in the US. PA Media
William Saliba headed Arsenal in front in the 17th minute, rising to angle a corner from Bukayo Saka in off the far post. Another header, 11 minutes later, doubled Arsenal’s advantage when Grant Xhaka picked out Gabriel Jesus with a perfectly floated cross from the left which the Brazilian met powerfully.
The game was put beyond Brentford in the fourth minute after the break thanks to a wonderful strike from outside the box by the Portuguese midfielder Fábio Vieira, which rattled in off a post.
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