Arsenal signed off in Los Angeles with a 2-1 win over Manchester United at Sofi Stadium courtesy of goals from Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli.
While youngsters Ethan Nwaneri and Ayden Heaven retained their places, Mikel Arteta selected a more experienced side than the one that started against Bournemouth in midweek.
Notably, captain Martin Odegaard returned alongside Leandro Trossard, Jesus, Jorginho and Oleksandr Zinchenko. After returning from holiday, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes and Martinelli were included on the bench.
Rasmus Hojlund ensured United got off to a strong start, barrelling past Heaven before squeezing an effort through keeper Hein’s legs.
It was a tough start for the young defender but the manager was impressed by his reaction: “He’s lost a duel against one of the strongest and fastest players in the world, it can happen, but the reaction afterwards, the composure, the quality, the body language that he had were all remarkable.”
After United lost Hojlund to injury, the Gunners grew into the game, eventually levelling on 26 minutes. Trossard’s pass found Nwaneri and his low, whipped cross was pounced on by Jesus at the back post.
Ethan Nwaneri’s delicious cross finds Gabriel Jesus, who tucks home Arsenal’s equaliser! ⚽️ #afc pic.twitter.com/H6aYhQ6BAX
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) July 28, 2024
The 17-year-old midfielder has enjoyed the US tour so far and Arteta hinted at him getting more playing time when Arsenal face Liverpool in Philadelphia.
“It’s always in the hands of the players, so show what you can do,” said the boss.
“Show that ambition, that determination, that quality and things will happen naturally. Tomorrow he’s going to train with us again and if he continues to play like that he’s going to play some minutes on Wednesday for sure.”
While Arsenal controlled the match, clear-cut chances were few and far between. Mason Mount and Trossard traded efforts either side of the break before Arteta introduced Havertz and Martinelli.
The latter put on an exhibition of pace with bursts down the left flank – a welcome sight given last year’s slight drop in form – and eventually scored a fine winner. After jinking into the box, he produced a deft finish to tuck the ball inside Onana’s near post.
“That’s the mentality of the team and individuals – one training session and he comes in and plays at that level,” reflected Arteta.
“That means that he’s not coming here to get prepared, he’s come prepared to show where he is and that’s a very different approach and I loved it.”
Gabriel Martinelli is BACK! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/cwcMfEvSlL
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) July 28, 2024
While the game ended 2-1 to the Gunners, United came out victorious in a pre-arranged shootout. Fabio Vieira, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes all netted, but Kai Havertz had his effort saved and Jakub Kiwior fired wide. Jaydon Sancho tucked home the decisive effort for the Red Devils.
Afterwards, Arteta praised his players for adapting to unusual surroundings and the way they turned things around after a tough start.
It was a really good test for us. Playing in a different stadium, different pitch conditions, four metres narrower and five metres shorter against a top opponent and we’re 1-0 down. To play in this kind of context is really, really good for us to see the level and the capacity we have to adapt and win in any context, so I’m really pleased.
He added: “There are not three points but there are a lot of things on the table and you could see that.
“I think both teams were the same. Man United competed at the highest level as well and that’s what you want, you want to get well-prepared for the matches we have in the league and in the Champions League. You need to have a good understanding of where your team is as quickly as possible.”
Always good to beat United! Glad to see Martinelli looking v sharp too, he’s a big asset for us.
Very impressed with the finish.
But if Onana’s near post was a business, it would be a dirty, dirty whore house with a big neon light saying ‘fuck me here’ on it.
What did I just read!
Sorry. But it does just amaze me how little of his goal he is able to cover.
United have made so many piss poor decisions, it’s really hard to rank them. But letting De Gea go for free so they could spend £50m on Onana is as funny as they get.
And yes, I’m still chuckling heavily at Casemiro and Antony.
Good luck out there Chido.
Sorry, I completely forgot about them chasing Sancho for two years before finally purchasing him and realising that he played in the exact same position as their 26 year old ”starboy”.
So they benched him and he called out the manager and now he’s back in the side and everything is going to be great now. Apart from the fact he barely got a kick against our kids last night.
What a club. Just when we thought Sp*rs were a blessing as a rival.
Oh god. How could I?
Completely forgot to mention that they spent all summer twerking for any manager available before giving their current manager (who supplied the worst season in their history) a new contract.
AND THESE THINGS ALL HAPPENED IN THE LAST FEW SEASONS!!! 😭😭😭
What a club. What a club.
Utd.
The club that keeps on giving😄
You left out their fans turning on all their players (Slabhead Saga, McTominay), former players and club legends trolling them every week, signing and then giving actual minutes to Jonny Evans, taking Cristiano back for 5 minutes who then trolled them afterward, buying/linked with every Ajax player Ten Hag ever coached, and dropping superstar money on an 18 year old CB when they’re in desperate need of a top to bottom rebuild. If the club wasn’t such a gold mine it would already be in administration. We were never this bad, even in the darkest years, right??
You left out the Multiverse size swimming pool that’s OT
We weren’t even close to being this bad, and looking back much less short lived. They have been objectively terrible now for eleven years, during which time they had to suffer through the football of; Jose Mourinho, Ralf Ragnick, David Moyes, Van Gaal, Solskjear and now this Bafoon. There is and argument that Mourinho was the best of them and that is just hilarious. They gave this plonker a new contract on the back of winning the FA cup. But they catastrophically folded in the semi final against Coventry only to scrape through after a terrible VAR intervention. What makes… Read more »
When I put on the pounds, it all goes to my gut. Somehow, Casemiro gains all his weight in his face. Remarkable.
Ok, I’m just going to say it.
You have a burger for a head.
That’s rather… explicit?
Their academy lad got badly roasted on that play. Not much the keeper can do about a low corner shot from there.
In fact all 3 goals came from academy lad defending. The left back completely lost GJ at the far post for our opener.
Quite impressed with Heaven and Salah. Nichols look tiny but has something about him.
Heaven above! We have a new star!
I bet Fleet Street desperately hopes that Heaven makes it into the big time: he’s a headline-writer’s wet dream!
bonus points for pissing ETH with Jesus’s marginal offside
I learned the following
1. these stateside tours are a waste of time…a few thousand fans wearing Arsenal and United shirts with no idea what to do, no chants, no singing…the stadium was absolutely void of atmosphere; sounded like a few thousand people chatting
2. the officials were way out of their depth, flagging for offsides when there were none, Arsenal first goal a yard offside, bad tackles went unnoticed….in future, stay at home and play friendlies for the people who really want to support.
You have a lot more to learn if you think the stateside tours are a waste of time. Also, your comments are very insulting to the International portion of the fanbase.
Many of us get up at weird hours, rearrange work schedules and our personal lives so we can watch and support the team.
Attendance for the match was 62,486, so quite a few more than “a few thousand fans”, which is the entire point. Grow the brand, grow the fanbase, grow the revenue.
Natural order established for the season ahead.
I hear that Ayden had a go, but he’d been forced wide and Heaven must be missing an angle.
Did you mean Heaven must be missing an “angel”? I’ll see myself out.
Let’s just hope he doesn’t get locked out of his eponymous home.
Expecting a massive season from Martinelli, hopefully he stays healthy and starts to really show he’s one of the best wingers on the planet. Encouraging from Nwaneri, if he can become the main backup to both wing positions this season that would be brilliant for both him and us, as you could probably say we haven’t actually had a proper backup wing player since… Pépé? Nelson for me has never really been a winger, definitely not Vieira. Tross has been closest but really more of a Swiss army knife than a winger per se.
Nwaneri will be deployed centrally rather than on the wing
Nelson is a real winger.
If your definition of a winger is a guy who completes a lot of short passes very accurately then yes, absolutely.
He’s not a traditional wide player that’s for sure. I like to think of wide players as archetypes; the small space dribble monsters like Doku, Mitoma and Neto come to mind first, then the channel runners like Martinelli and Son, the pass first throughball artists who drift inside, like Bernardo and Palmer, and the increasingly rare traditional British high volume crossers like McNeil. And then there’s Bukayo Saka, who can do a little bit of all of that. Nelson is an oddity, quite a bit like Antony as a profile. They are both what I would call a “wide midfielder.”… Read more »
Jesus seemed to be much more sharp with his movement than when we saw him last season. Whatever was done to his knee seems to have worked for now.
Maybe some nails?… Don’t bother I have my coat already
Don’t overlook Nelson. Played well. He will make someone an excellent player
I thought Zinchenko had an excellent outing. Somewhat surprisingly, I was most impressed by his defensive work–he won every ball anywhere near him and it didn’t seem that United were able to do anything down his side. If Califiori’s arrival means that one of Kiwior or Zinchenko must leave, I hope we are able to keep Zinchenko.
Just want to express my frustration that the game is not available to replay the US and the .com is now charging actual money for streaming of preseason games…
Sportek is your friend
Anyone else concerned we still haven’t signed anyone, still haven’t sold the dead wood and Arteta still hasn’t signed a contract extension with one year to go on it…?