Aug 6, 2025, 07:23 PM
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Viktor Gyökeres' first start in an Arsenal shirt couldn't prevent his new club from suffering a 3-2 defeat to Villarreal in their first preseason action at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
Swedish striker Gyökeres made his home bow following a protracted transfer from Sporting CP in a deal worth €63 million ($74m) plus €10m ($11.7m) in add-ons.
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It was another summer arrival at the Emirates who got on the scoresheet first for Arsenal, however. Former Brentford midfielder Christian Nørgaard headed home from a corner to the back post to get his first goal in Arsenal colors in the 36th minute.
By that point, Mikel Arteta's side were already behind. Former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pépé put the LaLiga team ahead with a close-range finish in the 16th minute before refusing to celebrate against his ex-employers.
Viktor Gyökeres made his first start in an Arsenal shirt in a 3-2 friendly loss to Villarreal. Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Etta Eyong put the visitors 2-0 to the good shortly past the half-hour mark as he capitalised on a rebound off a save from David Raya.
Two other Arsenal new boys made their entrance at half-time, with the introduction of Cristhian Mosquera and Martín Zubimendi. And Arteta made more changes around the 60-minute mark, including the exit of Gyökeres to be replaced by captain Martin Ødegaard.
After Arnaut Danjuma restored Villarreal's two-goal lead, Ødegaard gave Arsenal hope from the penalty spot with 14 minutes remaining. But it wasn't enough to prevent Arsenal going down to defeat.
Arsenal return to action against more Spanish opposition, with the visit of Athletic Club to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.