Arsenal’s youth side took part in the final group stage game of the EFL Trophy as the result of the game between the Gunners and Reading would determine who would finish the group in the top spot. These games have given a chance for youth stars of Premier League clubs to face off against some senior stars in the hope of an improvement to grassroots development.

It has been a topic of much debate amongst fans of lower league clubs who feel it has undermined a competition initially designed to see these clubs have a chance at winning silverware. It is worth noting that so far no youth side has yet won the competition nor reached the final.

One of the benefits of the competition is that its rules stipulate that despite it being ostensibly a competition for younger players of top sides, there are rules that allow first-teamers to get involved. According to tournament rules, teams must have at least six starting XI players named on the teamsheet who were aged under 21 as of the 30th of June in the year in which the season concerned commenced.

Furthermore, teams can have no more than two players who are aged 21 or over and made 40 or more appearances in a first-team fixture as a starter or substitute. This means that the Gunners could use two of Mikel Arteta’s team for the game and they did.

Both Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira started the match. Both had impacts on the game with Vieira scoring a penalty with the score 2-0 to the hosts and Nelson provided a brilliantly technical assist to bring the score to 3-2 later on but with his side still trailing.

The reason behind Nelson and Vieira getting the chance to play over other players who stayed behind over the international break is relatively obvious. The former has played just 270 minutes of football all season and this was a chance for more game time as he fights with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli for a place.

READ MORE: Arsenal's forgotten winger to get more time after trophy success and Pedro Neto transfer links

READ MORE: Arsenal news and transfers LIVE – Huge double injury update, Odegaard claim, Martinelli message

Vieira meanwhile has been a more frequent fixture for Arteta but his red card against Burnley at the weekend means he will miss the next three domestic matches. With an extended period on the sidelines, getting the chance to feature here made sense.

This is not something new for either player in their senior days featuring for the youth side. Although Nelson came through the academy, he has dropped into the youth side after making his senior debut on occasion to get the chance to play whilst Vieira has used it as a chance to build up match fitness after he arrived in 2022 having suffered an injury before arriving.

The 5-2 full-time score in favour of Reading means that Arsenal finish second in Group O but still qualify for the knockout round. Perhaps providing further opportunities for lesser-used senior stars to get some much-needed game time.