Football General Manager
- Dowman enjoyed excellent sub performance
- Viktor Gyokeres turned in quiet display
- Nicolas Pepe scored against old club
It was a jointed display from Arsenal, who started with new signing Viktor Gyokeres up front for the first time, but the striker was unable to make much of an impact.
Nicolas Pepe scored Villarreal‘s opener after a quarter of an hour as he came back to haunt his former employers, hitting the post from range before sprinting into the box and capitalising on some remarkably poor defending from Jakub Kiwior, who attempted to stop the winger reaching the ball and roundly failed.u0026nbsp;
Just after the half-hour mark, the Spanish side doubled their lead through Karl Etta Eyong, as he hooked a volley into the net after David Raya failed to claim an effort from an angle. However, within two minutes Arsenal had a goal back through Christian Norgaard, thanks to a smart header from a corner.
But despite territorial dominance, the Gunners conceded again on 68 minutes, with ex-Tottenham loanee Arnaut Danjuma bursting clear of the offside trap and finishing low into the bottom corner. Seven minutes later Arsenal won a penalty, as substitute Dowman slalomed his way into the penalty area and was brought down, and Martin Odegaard converted from 12 yards.
Mikel Arteta’s side poured forward in an attempt to equalise, but were unable to create a clear-cut chance. After the game, the two sides conducted a penalty shootout. Mikel Merino, Gabriel and Noni Madueke missed for Arsenal.
Dowman‘s impact was undeniable. Off the bench, the youngster won a penalty almost immediately, and jinked his way through multiple challenges from grown adults. Remember, he is 15. Given the Gunners’ lack of fluidity elsewhere, he is the obvious choice.u0026nbsp;
Two summer signings started: Norgaard and Gyokeres. While the latter will have expected to show his goal-scoring prowess, it was Norgaard who hit the net, pulling a goal back with a smart header at 2-0, having ghosted behind the Yellow Submarine defence. He operated effectively in midfield, making a couple of solid challenges, but he was unable to counter Villarreal’s pace in transition. By comparison, Gyokeres had one shot at goal and was substituted in a muted first start.u0026nbsp;
At half-time, both Christhian Mosquera and Martin Zubimendi came on, replacing Ben White and Norgaard respectively. With 12 minutes to go, Noni Madueke came off the bench. The trio had limited time to make their marks, with Mosquera and Zubimendi merely slotting into the backline and midfield without too much incident. Madueke, for his part, ran at Villarreal whenever he could, which wasn’t often enough for him to make something happen. He also missed his spot-kick.
Ethan Nwaneri is a name Arsenal fans are more than familiar with but he is still just 18. He continues to bring supporters out of their seats whenever he gets the ball, although his impact here was somewhat limited and he was substituted just after the hour mark.u0026nbsp;
Arsenal have one more pre-season friendly to play, against Athletic Club this weekend. They then kick off their Premier League campaign against Manchester United on August 17. They must improve.
