It’s Villarreal who held their nerves and claimed the hard-fought victory against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the pre-season friendly. In a tense match, Arsenal lost to Villarreal by a 3-2 margin. Arsenal’s new striker, Viktor Gyökeres, got his first start but he didn’t find the back of the net. Where it was supposed to be Gyökeres’s chance to shine, wonderkid Max Dowman once again stole the spotlight with his superb performance. With this loss against Villarreal, the Gunners have now lost back-to-back matches. But these results aren’t creating any pressure on Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta’s mind. He wants to identify the perfect formation from these friendly matches.
Arsenal-Villareal Face Off: The Match Report
The visitors fielded their first eleven under a 4-2-2-2 formation against the host. Arsenal started the first half with Gyokeres in the upfront. The Gunners were pressing high. Despite it being a friendly, Arsenal players weren’t shy of making hard tackles on the Villarreal players. In the first half, both wingers, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, were looking sharp in the opponent’s box. They constantly put up crosses and the solitary target man was the newcomer Swedish striker. Just like the North London Derby, Christian Norgaard once again started the match against Villarreal. Arsenal have also bought Martin Zubimendi in that position. But Arsenal fans can rely on Norgaard. His calmness and composure on the ball can become an asset to this team. The Arsenal backline has been consistently leaking goals. Again, it was the away team who broke the deadlock first. Villarreal’s Nicolas Pepe played a clever one to one with Gueye and then his clean curler left Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya like a statue. But the shot rattled the post but Villarreal got hold of the ball. Pepe was the quickest to react and earned that goal. While Arsenal were trying to equalise, Villarreal scored their second goal. The ball rebounded from Raya’s hands and Eyong didn’t make any mistakes from there. Finally in the 35th minute, Arsenal gave one goal back as Norgaard scored from the corner. In the second half, it was all Arsenal from the start. Then in the second half, Villarreal’s Danjuma scored the third goal. There was no comeback for the Arsenal team after this. Only Martin Odegaard converted a goal from spot kick.
How Good was Arsenal Striker Gyökeres Against Villarreal?
The new number 14 of Arsenal made his home debut against Villarreal. He played 60 minutes but failed to mark his Emirates debut with a goal. It was quite a cold show from the Swedish international. He managed to make only two shots. With few touches, he didn’t get much joy in the match. But his movements in the rival’s box were praiseworthy. Whenever he smelled an opening, Gyökeres was there to cause problems. He almost scored a header but didn’t meet the ball properly. After years, Arsenal have found a proper box striker who sticks to his role and arrives at the danger zones all the time. Manager Arteta explained that the player has yet to adapt completely to this team. He has hardly trained for two weeks. But the coach is sure of Viktor’s success in this team. “He’s been with us only a week or so. But I already saw a lot of things and a lot of purpose, especially the way he was attacking in certain spaces” – said Arteta to the press after the match.
Arsenal Fans Witnessed Dowman’s Class Against Villarreal
Once again, Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman has stunned the Gunners. The 15-year-old academy graduate came off the bench and immediately started confusing the Villarreal footballers with his skills. Fearless as ever, Dowman played like a footballer who has experience of playing 100+ matches. His incredible solo runs have once again baffled the opponents. At just 15, Max Dowman has already become the newest sensation in the Arsenal fanbase. Under Mikel Arteta, everyone is expecting him to make his top-flight debut soon.
🔍 Max Dowman – Match Stats vs. Villarreal
⏱️ Minutes played: 28
🎯 Touches: 27
🎁 Assists: 0
🎯 Accurate passes: 13/15 (87%)
🔑 Key passes: 1
📦 Crosses (accurate): 1 (0)
🎯 Shots off target: 1
🚫 Shots blocked: 0
🌀 Successful dribbles: 3/8
⚔️ Ground duels (won): 4/9
📉… pic.twitter.com/ucSYzx56Jg
— Arsenal Radar (@ArsenalRadar) August 6, 2025
From the Author’s End: Arsenal Are Ready
In these pre-season friendlies, Arsenal haven’t looked disorganized yet. The new players are slowly adapting to the system. Meanwhile, the backline will remain a concern for the coach but critics expect it to be sorted out before the clash against Manchester United. Arsenal are determined to win a trophy this season.
Stay tuned for more updates.
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