Our under-21s head coach Max Porter felt his side deserved all three points from their Premier League 2 game against Everton on Friday.
Victory would have seen our young Gunners make it three wins on the bounce, but despite dominating the game, spurned chances meant the affair ended goalless.
"I think we could have performed far better, and I say that because I think I know, and we know as staff, how much better our players can perform.
"There were still some good performances in there from a few individuals, but we didn't click as a team.
"So yeah, I think I'll come away disappointed, because the challenge we set the players was, can we make a hat-trick of wins in a row? We wanted a hat-trick of clean sheets, which we did do. So, yes, we come away a little bit disappointed and I think we can play far better than that."
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U21s report: Arsenal 0-0 Everton](https://www.arsenal.com/fixture/under-21/2026-Feb-06/under-21-0-0-everton-u21-match-report?utm_source=arsenaldotcom&utm_medium=embedded-article&utm_campaign=news)
Despite dropping points, Max's side has kept clean sheets in their last three games against Burnley, Leeds United and now the Toffees, a stark defensive improvement since the heavy defeat away to Liverpool last month.
Max acknowledged the result as an outlier and insisted that recent performances better reflect his side's progress at the back. "The game in Liverpool was a really mixed team," he said. "Whenever you have an FA Youth Cup game the night before, we prioritise that.
"Obviously, we had a group that didn't really play our trade together, some under-16s that got opportunities. So, I think that was a bit of an anomaly, in fairness.
"But I think the last few games, some of the blocks we've made... Tommy Setford makes an incredible difference. He's a fantastic young goalkeeper when he gets opportunities to play with us.
"I think we've just said that we need to really start prioritising our mentality in games. Clean sheets are really important.
"Our first team do that incredibly well. So, why would we not try to emulate that?"
There were debuts for January signings Evan Mooney, who started the match, and Jaden Dixon, who came off the bench late on, and Max was pleased to have them join the squad. "I think it's really exciting. Obviously, to have some transfer window signings on deadline day is a bit different from other teams'. Any good players, we're delighted to have added to the group that we've got.
"Evan, obviously, got thrust in. We had a bit of a last-minute change with availability. So, he got an opportunity. Not easy for him because there are still a lot of things that are probably different from his previous clubs here.
"But I thought what he could do tonight was his work rate, his endeavour, his attitude. And there will be things that, I'm sure, in time will be more settled.
"Jadon, obviously, he's come to us. He had a bit of a long-term injury at Stoke and has had limited minutes. So, we just felt, for now, after a couple of days, probably best for him to start on the bench.
"And, of course, we won 1-0 and 4-0 in our previous games. So, probably not the right time to be making loads of changes. But, in time, hopefully, they can earn their place in the team and show us what they can add to the group.
Turnover in personnel has been a feature throughout the campaign, but Max believes the current group offers plenty of promise heading into the second half of the season.
With several younger players now getting opportunities, Max is looking forward to developing his players over the coming weeks. "I think any football coach is really happy to have good talent. You look at our first team, even the players that don't play, they're good enough to probably be top four, even in that league. So, yes, I think for us, it's brilliant to have these talents.
"What we can't waste is their talent. And we've got to make sure on a daily basis that the habits and behaviours are pushing them to have the best career possible.
"What I would say is we've become a lot younger. That happens in the under-21s sometimes. I think tonight there were four players who were involved in the first game of the season against Fulham. And then today we're starting with eight scholars, which is hugely exciting.
"They'll make mistakes. We'll go on a journey in the second half of the season. But if we can just keep pushing, keep trying to improve, we'll hopefully maximise the potential they've got."
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