Arsenal began their three-match tour of the United States with a 5-4 penalty shootout victory over Bournemouth following a 1-1 draw in Los Angeles.
Fabio Vieira gave Arsenal a first-half lead by volleying Reiss Nelson’s deep cross into the far bottom corner.
In a competitive match that saw three players booked, Arsenal’s goalkeeper Karl Hein made crucial saves, first denying Dominic Solanke and later stopping Daniel Jebbison, who had found himself one-on-one with the Estonian keeper after being signed from Sheffield United this summer.
However, Hein could not stop Antoine Semenyo’s shot, which deflected off Omar Rekik and found its way into the far corner.
Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto made a late save against Leandro Trossard after a well-crafted play involving Martin Odegaard, leading to the pre-planned shootout. Ryan Christie’s missed penalty proved decisive in Arsenal’s victory.
All Arsenal’s experienced players had some involvement with the exception of Emile Smith Rowe, who has been linked with a move to Fulham.
“There are things happening in the background and we decided the best thing to do was to keep him away from the game,” Gunners boss Mikel Arteta told reporters after the game.
The game concludes Bournemouth’s trip to California following their draw with Wrexham, while Arsenal take on Manchester United in the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Arsenal’s focus on talented kids
Although Arsenal are close to securing a £34m deal for Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori, the Gunners are emphasizing youth development to close the gap on Manchester City after finishing second in the Premier League for two consecutive seasons.
Their strategy involves improving the quality of players entering their academy and ensuring more frequent impacts at the highest level.
Four young players featured against Bournemouth, experiencing varying degrees of success.
Ethan Nwaneri, who turned 17 in March, showed confidence by bursting past Marcos Senesi on an impressive run from inside his own half, eventually setting up Eddie Nketiah, who couldn’t capitalize.
Ayden Heaven, also 17, looked composed in central defense. However, he learned the high standards required when Solanke slipped past him, necessitating a brilliant save from Hein to deny the Bournemouth striker, who scored 19 Premier League goals last season.
Salah-Eddine Oulad M’hand, a more experienced player at 20, has a season of first-team experience from his loan spell with Den Bosch in the Netherlands.
He posed a threat down the left, although Reiss Nelson was more incisive—a performance likely noted by Leicester City, who are interested in signing the 24-year-old.