Arsenal’s u21’s lost 3-2 at Middlesbrough on Monday night.

The Gunners went behind early on when Deyan Iliev was sent off after failing to control a backpass under pressure resulting in him fouling Boro’s Harry Chapman in the box. Matt Macey’s first job, after being brought on for Mavididi, was to pick the ball out of the back of the net as Emmanuel Ledesma slotted the ball home from the spot with just 16 minutes on the clock.

Arsenal pulled level 15 minutes later when Gedion Zelalam threaded through a lovely pass to Alex Iwobi who made no mistake with a wonderful goal that saw him twist, turn and drive the ball through a crowd into the corner however they were only level for five minutes before Lewis Maloney scored from 25-yards out to restore Boro’s lead.

Just moments later it was 3-1 to the hosts as half-time approached, another long-range effort drilled home, this time by Yanic Wildschut.

In the second half, Macey was the busier of the keepers, perhaps not surprisingly given Arsenal’s depleted numbers but it was the Gunners who scored the game’s fifth goal with Dan Crowley passing the ball into the corner of the net after being put though by Glen Kamara in the 72nd minute.

Towards the end of the game Macey himself was lucky not to see red after fouling Ledesma when he was through on goal. Ledesma put the resulting free-kick wide of the post in the final seconds of the game which finished 3-2 to top-of-the-table Boro.

The result leaves Arsenal in fourth place (ha!) on 28 points.

Arsenal: Iliev, Smith, O’Connor, Dobson, Ormonde-Ottewill, Kamara, Maitland-Niles, Iwobi, Zelalem, Crowley, Mavididi.

Subs: Macey, Bola, Robinson, Mourgos, Willock.