Arsenal’s u21 side displayed spirit and resilience as they came from behind to draw 2-2 against Swindon Town in their EFL Trophy campaign.

A lively game filled with chances for both sides ended with the Gunners winning a bonus point in the subsequent penalty shootout.

• Arsenal’s under-21 side came from behind to draw 2-2 against Swindon Town in the EFL Trophy, showing resilience and strength despite playing against a seasoned League Two side.
• Arsenal won a thrilling penalty shootout, scoring five out of five penalties, demonstrating the composure and mental strength of the young Gunners.
• The match highlighted opportunities for growth, especially in reducing errors and improving finishing, as noted by coach Mehmet Ali.

Playing away at the County Ground, Arsenal’s young squad began the match ambitiously. They almost struck first when Ethan Nwaneri found Charles Sagoe Jr in the second minute, but an offside call cut short their celebrations.

However, Swindon Town took the lead when Jacob Wakeling’s cross ended in an own goal by Reuell Walters. Arsenal responded swiftly as Lino Sousa headed home from Nwaneri’s cross.

The match ebbed and flowed, with the Robins getting back in front as Tariq Uwakwe capitalised on an error from Karl Hein.

https://twitter.com/EstonianFBP/status/1694258457388482648

Yet, the young Gunners refused to be silenced, as substitute Jimi Gower equalised, driving home a confident finish in the top corner.

https://twitter.com/PunchDrunkAFC/status/1694296678617006332

Arsenal dominated in the second half, creating a series of scoring opportunities, but were frustrated by last-minute clearances and saves.

Despite the challenges, the team showcased their determination, composure, and skill, a combination that pleased coach Mehmet Ali.

He expressed his satisfaction with the boys, saying, “I love these games, I love these nights. I think they’ve got to be able to face that adversity and what you see is top players are able to deal with that and embrace the challenge that they’ve got.

“It’s brilliant for them. The crowd are booing on the penalties and they get up if we give the ball away, and they’ve got to be able to experience that. They’ve got to be able to think clearly under pressure.

“We do practice penalties and we like to put them under pressure, and James Sweet missed yesterday in training so I was really pleased for him to score the fifth. Five out of five penalties was excellent and Karl [Hein] made a good save so I’m really pleased with the boys to have that pressure and come out on top.”

Indeed, the match was more than a showcase of talent but a learning experience for the team, especially when faced with adversity. The game ended 2-2, leading to a penalty shootout where Arsenal’s young side showed great composure, scoring all five penalties and winning the additional bonus point.

Despite the positive performance, Mehmet believes there’s room for growth, especially in reducing sloppy mistakes and improving clinical finishing. “We made two sloppy errors and they punished us,” he noted, referring to the two goals conceded due to injuries and errors. The coach emphasised working on the training ground to ensure more clinical finishes.

“When you’re playing against men and a first-team, you can’t give away any sloppy mistakes or silly errors,” he said. “We made two sloppy errors and they punished us – they had two shots on target and scored two goals.

“Having said that, our boys’ dominance and the areas we got into were brilliant. The frustrations we have as a group are getting into the final third and not putting the ball in the back of the net.

“They cleared off the line twice and we should have scored more goals in the game; we had 11 shots on target so that was frustrating. It’s brilliant we’re getting into those areas so we have to work on the training ground to make sure we’re more clinical.”