Arsenal picked up where they left off before the World Cup break with a 3-0 win over Lyon on Thursday night, providing some solace after the news of forward Gabriel Jesus’ surgery earlier this week.The Gunners started their Dubai Super Cup campaign with a comfortable win over Lyon, in which several players argued for more playing time.
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At the end of the game, a penalty shootout was held with an extra point on offer. Arsenal won it as well, with keeper Karl Hein saving four Lyon penalties as the Gunners won 2-1.
The Winners
Winner: Eddie Nketiah
Following the news that Gabriel Jesus would be out for an extended period of time. All eyes were on Nketiah going into this game. With Jesus out, Nketiah will be tasked with leading Arsenal’s frontline when the Premier League resumes on Boxing Day.
Winner: Fabio Vieira
Mikel Arteta stated last month that Arsenal’s trip to Dubai would be extremely beneficial to Fabio Vieira, and on this evidence, Arsenal’s manager appears to be correct. The Portuguese playmaker set up Nketiah with a clever pass in the first half before scoring himself with a fantastic curling effort from outside the box that fizzed into the top corner.
Winner: Karl Hein
Lyon struggled to create anything of note, so Arsenal’s third-choice goalkeeper saw little action. In the penalty shootout, he was the star of the show, saving four Lyon spot kicks to ensure Arsenal got the extra point.
The Losers
Loser: Sambi Lokonga
The young Belgian midfielder was the only Arsenal player who appeared to be lagging behind. Given Lyon’s poor performance, Arsenal had plenty of space to exploit, and the majority of the starters did just that.
Loser: Alexandre Lacazette
Lacazette would have been desperate to score against his former club. Even though it was only a friendly, he would have loved to beat his old teammates. But the Lyon striker barely got a kick all evening, with Gabriel Magalhaes and Rob Holding comfortably holding him off.
Loser: Rayan Cherki
After the game, the Lyon player produced one of the worst attempted Panenka penalties in history, handing Arsenal the penalty shoot-out victory. The 19-year-old needed to score to keep Lyon in the game.
