Arsenal summer signing Mylo Bernard scored a brace to help his new team come from behind to win the north London derby, despite two goalkeeper injuries.
The u18 north London derby has a bit of a reputation for being a high-scoring affair. Of the last five matches between the Arsenal u18s and the Tottenham Hotspur u18s, all of them have involved at least four goals, with some seeing as many as eight or 10.
But Saturday’s edition of the derby had a surprisingly low-key first half, with no goals in the first 45 minutes, and not even too many shots.
That was always likely to change at some point, and the goals eventually arrived a few minutes after the break.
Youth striker Mylo Bernard joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace over the summer, making his debut as a substitute in a 5-1 win over Norwich City in September. But this was Bernard’s first start for the u18s, and it could hardly have come in a bigger game.
And when Spurs took the lead through Joel Philbert in the 50th minute, Bernard was the player to step up and draw Arsenal level.
Straight from the kick-off, Hakeem Abubakar raced down the left-hand side before crossing for Bernard, who finished the chance for 1-1 and his first Arsenal goal.
Arsenal were dealt a fresh blow in the 75th minute as goalkeeper Jack Talbot suffered an injury, and he was forced off to be replaced by Max Lo Presti.
Funnily enough, Lo Presti had made his u18 debut and only previous appearance for the u18s earlier in the season as a substitute, coming on for a few minutes after Talbot received a red card against Brighton. Once again, he was called upon to step in against Spurs.
But Lo Presti’s second appearance didn’t last long, as he himself picked up an injury in the 90th minute, and Arsenal were forced to put midfielder Emerson Nwaneri in goal for the final stages.
Yet it was Arsenal who took the lead in injury time, with Bernard scoring his second goal of the game with a cannoning shot off the bar for a 2-1 lead. He was assisted by substitute Luis Munoz, who found him after a long kick from temporary goalkeeper Nwaneri.
The Gunners saw out the win for all three points, and bragging rights in the derby.
Arsenal u18 lineup vs Spurs
Talbot, Owusu-Gyasi, Abubakar, Mbala, McCarron, Murisa, Purdy, Bernard, Nwaneri, Maghoma, Hashi
Substitutes
Munoz (for Maghoma, 45), Odaji-Ukueku (for Purdy, 61), Donczew (for Hashi, 61), Lo Presti (for Talbot, 75), Pedro (for McCarron, 78), Sesay (for Lo Presti, 90), Stachow
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