Tomlinson a history-maker but young Gunners show their quality to beat inexperienced Cobblers

The 16-year-old broke the deadlock with an eighth-minute header but Arsenal turned the game around thanks to three second-half goals as Zach Awe levelled before Amario Cozier-Duberry emphatically fired in and then Nathan Butler-Oyedeji added a stoppage-time third.

Cobblers are now officially out of the competition having finished bottom of Southern Group H and manager Jon Brady, who served his one-game touchline ban on Tuesday, can turn his full focus to Saturday’s trip to league leaders Stevenage.

The return of Aaron McGowan from injury was one of the big positives for Town and he wore the captain’s armband on his first start of the season.

Ryan Haynes, Akin Odimayo, Ben Fox, and Jonny Maxted were the only other senior pros to feature in an otherwise very young Cobblers squad.

Tomlinson started in a back three and his night peaked just eight minutes in when left unmarked to head home Liam Cross’ corner.

That made him the club’s youngest ever scorer at 16 years and 321, beating the previous record held by Jimmy Benton (17 years and 9 days).

The Cobblers were excellent in the first-half and looked the more dangerous side throughout. Liam Cross was lively in a free role and he went as close as anyone to doubling the lead before half-time, curling a fine effort just wide of the far post.

That came either side of two chances for Jack Connor but on both occasions he was kept at bay by Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein.

McGowan and Odimayo both got through 50 minutes before they were replaced by Harvey Lintott and Dylan Hill respectively, with Max Dyche taking over the captain’s armband, and the game’s key moment came just a few moments later when Cross picked a defender’s pocket and went racing through on goal, only to pull his shot wide of the post.

The visitors did not threaten Maxted in the home goal until just shy of the hour-mark but the final 30 minutes would very much belong to them as Cross' miss proved costly.

Seconds after Town’s goalkeeper used his legs to thwart Butler-Oyedeji, Arsenal were level through Awe’s close-range finish.

Cobblers were more ragged in the second-half and Arsenal began to turn the screw with Butler-Oyedeji missing two chances to put the visitors ahead, first denied by Maxted before heading over the angle of post and bar.

But the turnaround was complete with 15 minutes to play when Cozier-Duberry chopped into the penalty box and arrowed a shot towards the far top corner of Maxted’s goal.

There was no way back from there and Butler-Oyedeji added gloss to the scoreline with a superb finish in stoppage-time after a swift counter-attack.

Match facts

Cobblers: Maxted, Dyche, Tomlinson, Odimayo (Hill 52), McGowan © (Lintott 52), Haynes (Lekuti 75), Abimbola, Fox, Cross, Ngwa (Wyatt 85), Connor (Duggan 85)

Subs not used: Dadge

Arsenal U21s: Hein, Awe, Butler-Oyedeji, Foran, Henry-Francis, Sagoe Junior (Nwaneri 63), Smith ©, Cozier-Duberry (Iedho 75), Ibrahim (Lewis-Skelly 63), Sousa, Walters

Subs not used: Hillson, Taylor-Hart, Kacurri

Referee: Carl Brook

Attendance: 3,037

Arsenal fans: 308