The Arsenal u21s came from behind twice to secure a draw against Brighton on Friday night, after a whirlwind second half.
Mehmet Ali’s Arsenal u21 side have struggled for goals and wins in recent months, with four goals in nine games before Friday night and a run of 10 matches without victory in all competitions.
The return of Khayon Edwards and Ben Cottrell from injury, as well as the increasingly regular inclusion of top young talents Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, should give them a lineup capable of more in the coming games.
Match report
Despite those additions to the lineup, the u21s had another tough start in Friday’s Brighton clash.
With less than 12 minutes on the clock, a clumsy challenge from Bradley Ibrahim handed Brighton a penalty, and Arsenal were fortunate that an excellent save from Hubert Graczyk kept the scores at 0-0.
That luck didn’t hold, as Jamie Mullins gave Brighton the lead just before the half-hour mark. The away side capitalise on a misplaced pass from Lewis-Skelly for 1-0.
The situation only got worse in the early stages of the second half, with Luca Barrington making up for his penalty miss by poking in a rebound from close range for 2-0.
But heading into the final 20 minutes of the match, the contest suddenly started to turn.
Edwards and Charles Sagoe Jr linked up in the Brighton penalty area, with Sagoe Jr brought down following a nice turn. Ben Cottrell stepped up to convert with a spot-kick down the middle.
Cottrell was then involved again three minutes later, setting up an equaliser for Amario Cozier-Duberry. A clever pass inside the full-back saw Cozier-Duberry running away from his marker, but he deserves full credit for an excellent finish after that for 2-2.
As Arsenal started to hunt for a winner, Brighton executed a counter-punch.
Just two minutes after Cozier-Duberry’s equaliser, Cameron Peupion curled in an effort from the edge of the box for 3-2, and it looked like all of Arsenal’s work had been undone.
Yet just as quickly as Brighton had retaken the lead, Arsenal were level again.
Catalin Cirjan capitalised on a poor backpass, rounding the goalkeeper and poking into an empty net.
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In the space of just seven minutes, the game had swung from 2-0 to 3-3.
There were further chances for both teams to win it, but ultimately the game ended with a draw. It’s hard to argue with that result in the circumstances.
Final thoughts
Unfortunately, the result means another game without a win, 11 in a row at this stage. On the other hand, the u21s scoring three goals in a game for the first time since November 2022 is certainly a positive.
Arsenal also started the season strongly enough that their recent form still hasn’t created a significant risk of relegation.
The young Gunners remain in seventh, nine points and six places clear of the relegation zone, with just three or four games remaining for the teams below.
That’s lucky for Arsenal, as they still have to face league leaders Manchester City on the final day of the season.
Ali will hope his side have secured safety before then, with games against fifth-place Fulham and eighth-place Everton to come.
Arsenal u21 lineup vs Brighton
Graczyk, Bandeira, Ibrahim, Monlouis, Sweet, Lewis-Skelly, Cottrell, Nwaneri, Cozier-Duberry, Sagoe Jr, Edwards
Substitutes
Henry-Francis (for Lewis-Skelly, 61), Cirjan (for Nwaneri, 75), Cooper, Robinson, Benjamin
What’s next?
The Arsenal u21s host Fulham at Meadow Park on Friday, April 21st at 19:00 BST. The game will unfortunately clash with the senior fixture against Southampton at 20:00 that same day.
The u21s are then in action again in a match against Everton on Friday, April 28th, but many of the players involved in the Brighton game will likely play in the FA Youth Cup final before that.
Jack Wilshere’s u18s play West Ham in that final at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, April 25th at 19:00. Ticket information is available here.