Arsenal U21s secured their first Premier League 2 victory on Friday evening, beating Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 at Mangata Developments Stadium.
Arsenal started the game strongly, with midfielder Ife Ibrahim playing a crucial role in the bright start. Their first chance fell to Josh Nichols, whose effort was saved by goalkeeper Steven Hall.
Brighton’s first chance of the game was created on 20 minutes when Joe Belmont did well to weave past the defence before firing a powerful shot parried away by goalkeeper Tommy Setford. Zane Albarus’s attempt from the resulting corner was deflected away.
After the half-hour mark, Albarus combined with Jacob Slater to set up Joshua Robertson on the edge of Arsenal’s penalty box. Robertson’s effort looked goalbound only for it to be blocked and ricochet clear.
Arsenal were forced to make a substitution just before halftime as Setford was substituted after a collision. He was replaced by Remy Mitchell, who was making his first appearance since his return to the club this summer.
The second half started dramatically as Seb Ferdinand’s brilliance led to a corner which was cleared to Arsenal’s half, allowing Shane Nti to find himself one-on-one with Mitchell, but Madlini Kacurri made a sliding tackle to deny him from scoring.
Nti thought he had given Brighton the lead in the 58th minute when he tucked the ball home after receiving a pass from Charlie Tasker. However, his effort was ruled out for offside.
Arsenal broke the deadlock on 88 minutes through Ferdinand, who calmly found the back of the net from Charles Sagoe Jr’s cross to help Max Porter’s side record their first victory and clean sheet of the season.
The young Gunners next face Wolverhampton Wanderers on September 20.