- Gyokeres nods home Martin Zubimendi cross
- Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz also on the scoresheet
- Mikel Arteta fields strong team ahead of United opener
Arsenal beat Athletic Club 3-0 in their final pre-season friendly on Saturday.
The game started at a mid-season pitch, with Rob Jones booking Athletic Club’s Yuri Berchiche within the opening two minutes. Both teams attacked at pace, with international teammates David Raya and Unai Simon forced into action in a frenetic opening ten minutes. Another tame effort by Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta on the quarter-hour mark appeared to jolt Arsenal, who began to exert control over the game.
Bukayo Saka was constantly threatening, turning Inigo Lekue inside and out. His square ball across the face of goal was begging to be put away by Gyokeres, but his tame effort from six yards out was comfortably dealt with by Unai Simon.
The Gunners’ pressure finally told in the 34th minute, when Martin Zubimendi’s fizzing near post cross was met with a glancing header by Gyokeres. The Swede’s movement and deft touch was exactly the type of intervention the Gunners missed last season. It was a true marksman’s goal.
Just a few minutes later, the Gunners doubled their lead. A long ball forward by Raya was cushioned into the path of Martin Odegaard. The captain in turn, lifted a through ball over the top of the Athletic Club defence. Martinelli raced onto the pass, nicked the ball past an onrushing Unai Simon and into the path of Saka who turned it into an empty net from about 20 yards out. The Gunners saw out the remainder of the half with consummate ease, as they looked physically and technically superior to their opponents.
Arteta picked something close to his strongest team for this assignment, and he will be pleased to see his team create and control the game. While the second half was played at a slower pace, the Gunners still showed flashes of creativity. Noni Madueke showed his skill on the ball, jinking past his opposite number on numerous occasions. Gyokeres will be disappointed he did not add to his earlier effort, as his diving header from a Madueke cross rattled the post. The Swede was given rapturous applause as he exited the arena to be subbed by Kai Havertz in the 71st minute.
Perhaps to remind the Emirates that he still has a part to play, the German sealed the afternoon’s proceedings when he broke onto a speculative long ball forward, brushed off his defender, and calmly slotted past Unai Simon in the 82nd minute.
A great day for the Gunners was sealed with a 6-5 win in the now customary post-game penalty shootout.
AsAthleticClub were starting to threaten around the 15-minute mark, Saka took the game by the scruff of the neck. He ran poor Lukue ragged for the remainder of the first half. While his goal was laid out for him on a silver platter, he will be glad to find the net ahead of upcoming Premier League season.
All eyes were on Gyokeres, as he looked to find the scoresheet ahead of the Gunners’ Premier League curtain raiser next week. The Swede worked the channels, offered a physical threat, and made the hallmark runs of a ‘proper’ no.9. His headed goal exhibited archetypal traits of a top level Premier League striker. He still sometimes looks a bit ungainly with the ball at his feet during general build-up play, however. All-in-all, a successful run out.
Martin Zubimendi continued his outstanding pre-season with a typically metronomic display in the centre of the park. He appears to be the perfect foil to Declan Rice in a double pivot: technical, composed and reliable. If he routinely adds a final ball to the standard he delivered for Gyokeres’ goal, he will be a resounding success in north London.
Noni Madueke showed his grace on the ball, taking on opposing defenders at speed. Christhian Mosquera had little to do after he came on at the 60 minute mark.
Arteta used this last pre-season run out to put more miles in his first teamer’s legs, with no current academy players on the bench bar keeper Alexei Rojas. He was an unused substitute, with David Raya taking the full 90 minutes.
Arsenal’s Premier League season starts with a tricky assignment, as they face Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United at Old Trafford on August 17.
