Spirited fightback, but not enough

In spite of the result though, you had to give credit to the Arsenal players. They refused to give up and managed to cause their visitors plenty of problems in the process. The relentless running and energy of Reiss Nelson was certainly encouraging to see; Krystian Bielik was excellent in the heart of defence and made a succession of important tackles and interceptions, whilst Willock justified Arséne’s praise of his talent with an impressive display throughout.

The encounter was soured by a number of questionable refereeing decisions, especially considering the plethora of cynical fouls that the City youngsters gave away, slowing down the tempo of the game and attempting to keep control in midfield with effective substitutions of their own after Donyell Malen – fresh off the bench himself – headed home unmarked in the area.

Malen headed home from close-range to give us hope midway through the second-half. | Photo: Getty Images
Malen headed home from close-range to give us hope midway through the second-half. | Photo: Getty Images

Frustration began to creep in with every passing minute as you could feel the supporters’ tension, waiting for the all-important goal, which never came. An unfortunate dismissal met Marc Bola’s late sliding challenge on goalscorer Kongolo, which was harsh considering he’d won the ball, but slipped and caught the midfielder during the follow-through.

Marc Bola is given his marching orders by referee Darren Deadman | Photo: Getty Images
Marc Bola is given his marching orders by referee Darren Deadman after 75 minutes. | Photo: Getty Images

The inclusion of Ben Sheaf was good to see, although a surprise he didn’t start in the holding midfield position, providing assured quality and protection for the defenders behind him, it was just one of many positives to take from the game despite the result.

With the likes of Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Thierry Henry – as well as Arséne Wenger himself watching on – it was clear to see that the future in north London is definitely bright, City were just more defensively resolute in key moments, and ultimately clinical with their chances on goal.