Arsenal were handed their second defeat of pre-season as they were beaten by Villarreal.
The Spanish side ran out 3-2 winners at Emirates Stadium, thanks to goals from former Gunners winger Nicolas Pepe, Karl Etta Eyong and Arnaut Danjuma.
Arsenal hit back through efforts from Christian Norgaard and Martin Odegaard, but it was not enough to stop them falling to a defeat.
One of Arsenal’s new signings was on the scoresheet on Wednesday evening; it was just not the player those inside Emirates Stadium expected.
Fans had arrived eager to get their first glimpse of Viktor Gyokeres, but instead it was Norgaard who found the net.
The Danish midfielder headed home at the back post midway through the first half after Gabriel Martinelli’s corner found him unmarked.
It was the sort of chance Gyokeres would have loved to have been presented with, however, he largely had to feed off scraps.
The Swede’s best opportunity came just before he was taken off around the hour mark, when a through-ball from Mikel Merino found him in the box.
Gyokeres was quick to get his shot off, but from a tight angle, Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior was able to keep it out.
Other than that, Gyokeres was largely quiet as he made his first start for Arsenal. That was not due to a lack of effort and, more than once, he made runs in behind – but his team-mates did not find him.
Clearly, it will take time for Arsenal to get used to the way their new No9 plays.
If there was one clear positive for Mikel Arteta after this defeat, it was the performance of Max Dowman.
The 15-year-old has enjoyed a, quite frankly, remarkable pre-season, and he was impressive again in this defeat to Villarreal.
Handed 30 minutes off the bench, Dowman looked so sharp, beating defenders for fun and causing problems.
It was Dowman who won the penalty, which Odegaard slotted home, deftly turning in the box to draw a foul.
Arsenal will want to control the hype around Dowman, given he is so young that he will not be taking his GCSEs until next summer.
It will become increasingly hard to, however, when the teenager keeps putting in performances like this one.
Dowman looked at home on such a stage, playing at Emirates Stadium with the first team for the first time.
Arteta unhappy with defensive display
Arteta labelled Arsenal’s defending as “naive” in this defeat, and it certainly not in keeping with their usual displays.
For Villarreal’s opening goal, Jakub Kiwior was muscled off the ball too easily at the back post as Pepe scored.
