The u21s dominated Manchester United, while the u18s edged past West Ham in a thrilling encounter.
Arsenal‘s under-21s began their Premier League 2 campaign with a convincing 4-2 victory over Manchester United.
The young Gunners dominated the first half, racing to a 4-0 lead with goals from Lino Sousa (who scored twice), Jack Henry-Francis, and Khayon Edwards.
Despite Manchester United reducing the deficit in the second half through goals from Ethan Ennis and Ethan Wheatley, Arsenal held on to secure the win.
United’s hopes were further hindered when Ethan Williams received a red card for an off-the-ball incident, leaving them with 10 men.
“I’m really pleased that we won the game, but what stood out was our outstanding first-half performance,” said Arsenal’s head coach, Mehmet Ali.
“We’ve had a somewhat disjointed pre-season due to the Euros, with players moving between the first team, different experiences, and varying squads. However, what this game showed is how united we are as a club—from the first team down through the under-21s, under-18s, and the academy. No matter who played, they delivered. While there’s room for improvement in the second half, there are plenty of positives to take from tonight.”
This strong start puts Arsenal third in the league standings, and they’ll look to build on this momentum as they prepare for their next match against Wolves on August 23.
Arsenal XI: Okonkwo, Nichols (Kamara, 85), Monlouis, Heaven (Kacurri, 65), Lewis-Skelly (Robinson, 65), Rosiak, Gower, Oulad M’Hand (Dudziak, 85), Kabia, Butler-Oyedeji, Edwards
Subs not used: Ranson
Arsenal’s U18s began their season with a 3-2 win against West Ham. Ceadach O’Neill scored a brace on his debut, while Andre Annous added another.
Arsenal opened the scoring through O’Neill, but West Ham quickly equalised via a penalty. The second half saw Annous and O’Neill restore and consolidate Arsenal’s lead.
Despite a late goal from West Ham, Jack Wilshere’s team secured three points.
Key contributions included Jack Porter’s double save and Ife Ibrahim’s goal-line clearance.
Arsenal will face Chelsea in their next fixture.
Arsenal XI: Porter, Salmon (Akolbire, 41), Clarke, Sweet, Ogunnaike, Ibrahim, Julienne (Onyekachukwu, 90+4), Copley (Marciniak, 46), Annous, O’Neill, Casey (Shuaib, 67)
Subs not used: Talbot, Ismail
