Arsenal 2-3 Villarreal: The first Gunners of Viktor Gyokers started in Dissappointmnet when the Spanish side Villarreal achieved a moral reinforcement at the Emirates
Arsenal itched to sign their Blitish signing of big money to take a goal – and after 17 minutes Nicolas Pepe Viktor Gyokeres showed how it was done. The great irony of all this was that Pepe, considered one of the largest flops of the Gunners after his £ 72 million switch from Lille, looked demonstrably sharper than Gabriel Martinelli.
The Brazilian is confronted with a make-or-break campaign in North London and it is already clear that the concept between Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Gyokees needs time. That said, the former sporty striker showed an early glimpse of what the side of Mikel Arteta was missed in the past seasons within the opening of 30 seconds.
It did not end in a goal, but there was a huge roar of anticipation when the Bullish Swede burst into the box and tried to interfere with early cuts. He is not only 6ft 2 ', but the frontman of £ 63.7 million is square and has the pace to burn.
Kai Havertz, who was a remarkable absent against Villarreal, thrives between the lines, but if the debut of Gyokees Emirates is something to start; Arsenal fans can expect pure determination, strength and hunger to score goals. He pressed the backline and keeper aggressively on the Spaniards and never condemned them for a moment of peace.
But to get the best of Gyokeres, Arsenal has to create him both opportunities and space. He had neither here. There were a few small openings and a wild swing at an overhead kick, but the backline of Villarreal was camped in their box. Sometimes it felt like the same old story as Martinelli constantly ran blind alleys. Villarreal was two goals for good when Etta Eyong tapped a second from close by.
Christian Norgaard scored his first Arsenal goal with a back-post header from a corner before ex-Tottenham attacker Arnaut Danjuma added a third for the visitors. Fifteen -year -old Max Dowman was spectacular when entering the field at 60 minutes with his flawless footwork and dribbling. He won a penalty converted by Martin Odegaard and already looks like a Premier League-ready star. His close control, agile touches and explosiveness was a relief. He cannot play in the Champions League until his 16th birthday, but we will probably see him make his top-flight debut. Arteta is not afraid to hand Hale End -Edelstone minutes when Ethan Nwaneri had his Premier League bow in just 15 years and 181 days old. Dowman can't break that record, but there is no shame in that. This boy is special and goes all the way to the top. It's just a shame that he plays in the same position as his idol Saka.