The Arsenal defender came on for Ben White, and with his first touch, he headed in the opener - his first goal in more than two years.
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Arsenal defender Calum Chambers made an instant impact after coming on as a substitute in the victory over Leeds United on Tuesday night. It only took Chambers 23 seconds to make his mark on the Carabao Cup fourth-round clash with Leeds. The defender came on for Ben White, and with his first touch, he headed in the opener – his first goal in more than two years. Emile Smith Rowe swung in an in-swinging cross to the far post where Nicolas Pepe headed it back across goal for Chambers to head home. Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier scrambled the ball clear but the ball had already crossed the line. Eddie Nketiah scored the other goal of the night to seal the victory in the 69th minute.
“It happened pretty quick!” Chambers told Arsenal Media. “All the guys on the bench who were putting me on, the set-piece coach Nico, the boss, they all said, ‘Go and score on your first touch.’ So that was all that was in my head and yeah, it was nice to see it come off my head and go over the line. It was definitely a first and yeah, a pretty unique way to score.”
Calum Chambers then went on to open up about his emotional celebration on the night. “They were all getting in my ear as I came on, saying, ‘You’re going to score on your first touch’ and it convinced me, so you know, I had to go and run over to them and celebrate!” he explained.
The defender wants nothing less than winning the competition, as he laid out his target for the tournament. “We want to go all the way [now]. A club like Arsenal needs to be going all the way and competing for silverware in every competition, so that’s obviously our aim. That’s our goal, we’re fully focused on that and believe we can do that,” he added.
Meanwhile, manager Mikel Arteta praised Calum Chambers’ performance on Tuesday night and his overall “professional” attitude. Asked whether he’s ever made a substitute with such an instant impact, Arteta, as per the club’s website, told the media, “I don’t think so. I am so happy in particular for Calum, he totally deserves it. It was a great moment as it helped us win the game, and it’s someone who deserves the best for who he is as a person and how he behaves as a professional.”
Arteta also opened about making many changes to the Starting XI for the midweek clash. “It was a decision that… I can’t keep demanding players to do what they do every day, and to keep believing that they can get in the team and ask them to raise the level [without giving them a chance to play] and I trust them. I was calm as I know that they can do it. Obviously it was against a tough opponent,” he added.
