While most 15-year-olds are worried about poor test grades, incomplete homework, and defining themselves outside of their school and family, Ethan Nwaneri is busy etching his name in the record books of the most-watched football league in the world.

The English midfielder, who is 15 years and 181 days old, became the youngest player in Premier League history when he replaced Fabio Vieira in second-half injury time for Arsenal's 3-0 win over Brentford on Sunday.

He was the first ever player under 16 to play in the competition, beating the record held by Liverpool wunderkind Harvey Elliott, who was 16 years and 38 days old when he made his topflight debut for Fulham in 2019.

Nwaneri earned his chance to make history after a glorious start to the new season, netting four goals and setting up five more in just 10 appearances with Arsenal's youth academy. Such was his rapid progress that he just made his Arsenal under-21s debut earlier this month and trained with their first team on Saturday.

"It was a pure gut feeling," explained Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta when quizzed about why he brought the teenager off the bench. "I met the boy and really liked what I saw. Per Mertesacker and the academy staff are giving me really good information, Edu as well. I met him; he's trained a couple of times with us.

"And because of the injuries, we only have 12 or 13 senior players to put in the squad, and we decided to bring him, and that's it ... He has trained a couple of times with us, and I had a feeling yesterday that if the opportunity came, I would do it."

Asked what he had said to Nwaneri ahead of the vital game, Arteta said, "Sometimes it is better not to tell them. Just throw him in there and see what happens."

According to stats provider Opta, Nwaneri is the first player born in 2007 to feature in any of Europe's top five leagues.

"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," Arteta said. "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."

As all eyes are on Nwaneri, who also had a number of eye-catching performances with England under-17s, Arteta insists fans should not get too carried away.

"It's just one step, and all the steps in your career are not forward and you have to know that. You can go forward, then backwards and then forwards. You fall, you go back – that's, unfortunately, this industry and the football career of any player," he said.

Meanwhile, another record was shattered in France as Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo received the fastest red card in Ligue 1 history after being sent off just nine seconds into their 1-0 home loss to Angers on Sunday.

The former Barcelona star recklessly brought down striker Abdallah Sima, who ran forward with the ball right after the kickoff. Referee Bastien Dechepy thought Todibo had denied Angers a goal-scoring opportunity and promptly produced a red card for the French international.

It was just the fourth time a player in any of Europe's top five leagues received a red card less than a minute into a match since 2010. It was also Todibo's second red card this season as he got his marching orders in Nice's 1-0 defeat by Clermont Foot in August.

Although his fouls had twice put his team at a numerical disadvantage, the 22-year-old chose not to own up to his mistakes and hit out at the referee after the game.

"A decision without reason that shocks me and which condemns my team to start the match with a big disadvantage," fumed Todibo on social media. "The decisions of the referees at the start of the season are very questionable, even scandalous, and I hope that the LFP (The Ligue de Football Professionnel) will do something to remedy this."

Elsewhere, Paris Saint Germain opened a two-point lead at the top after Lionel Messi's early goal earned the French powerhouse a 1-0 win at Lyon. It was the Argentinian talisman's fourth league goal of the season.

In Spain, Real Madrid extended their perfect start to the new La Liga season with a narrow 2-1 victory over arch-rivals Atletico Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti's side have now won all six of their opening games, putting them two points clear of Barcelona at the top.

Earlier in the day, Seria A minnows Monza took a shock 1-0 home win over Italian giants Juventus, which was reduced to 10 men after Angel Di Maria was sent off five minutes before the interval for throwing an elbow into Armando Izzo's chest.

"I wish to apologize to everyone for that inappropriate reaction I had on the pitch," Di Maria later said via Instagram. "Having left the team a man down in such a difficult moment of the season made us lose the game. It is purely my fault that we lost. I am so very sorry. I am a professional but also a human being who makes mistakes and can recognize them."