Angers 1-1 Arsenal: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Young Gunners Win on Penalties

A young Arsenal side secured a penalty shootout win against Angers after Reiss Nelson's strike earned a 1-1 draw in regular time in France on Wednesday night.

The Gunners fell behind in the 13th minute when Farid El Melali streaked through the heart of the visiting team's defence to round Emiliano Martinez and slot into an empty net.

Angers nearly doubled their advantage when Mateo Pavlovic stabbed in from close range, only for it to be ruled out for a foul, before Shkodran Mustafi flicked an effort just wide at the other end.

Arsenal equalised minutes after the restart when Nelson converted from close range, tucking in after Eddie Nketiah's shot was blocked.

The visiting side upped the tempo during the second half and substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should have scored late on, only to miss an open goal after Henrikh Mkhitaryan's effort was palmed into the Gabon international's path.

All the spot kicks went successfully before Wilfried Kanga blazed his over the bar, only for Mkhitaryan to repeat the trick and miss in similarly spectacular fashion. Former Arsenal youngster Jeff Reine-Adelaide then saw his effort saved by Martinez, handing the away side the victory.

ARSENAL

Key Talking Point

Things seem to be looking up for Arsenal at the moment.

They recently announced deals for William Saliba and Dani Ceballos, Nicolas Pepe is all but confirmed as a Gunners player, and talks for Celtic defender Kieran Tierney continue to rumble on.

It also looks as though they have a tasty pool of young players to call upon during the new season. Nelson was rewarded for his endeavour with a second half goal after Nketiah, arguably Arsenal's biggest pre-season star, had a shot blocked.

Joe Willock also impressed as Wednesday's game wore on, showing a keen desire to support his attackers from midfield.

Unai Emery won't be ramming his Premier League teams with youngsters like he did for the Angers clash, but most who played showed they can contribute when needed, whether it be in starts in the Carabao Cup or the Europa League, or as late league substitutes if Arsenal's squad starts to struggle with injuries.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Martinez (6); Chambers (5), Mustafi (6), Medley (4), Monreal (6); Guendouzi (6), Burton (5); Martinelli (6), John-Jules (5), Nelson (8); Nketiah (6).

Substitutes: Thompson (5), Maitland-Niles (5), Sokratis (6), Willock (7), Xhaka (5), ​Aubameyang (4), Mkhitaryan (5), Olayinka (5).

STAR MAN - A fair few Arsenal fans have been banging on about Reiss Nelson, and it's clear to see why.

The 19-year-old enjoyed a terrific loan spell at Hoffenheim last year and demonstrated his evident skill again on Wednesday, displaying an assured touch and an eye for goal.

He'll get chances this season, and Gunners fans will hope he can make his mark when called upon.

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Looking Ahead

​Arsenal have just one pre-season game left to compete in before their competitive season gets underway. They face ​Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy on 4 August, before their first Premier League fixture against Newcastle a week later.