Arsenal continued their perfect pre-season with a hard fought 3-1 victory over Orlando City.
Mikel Arteta’s squad were made to wait to start the latest leg of their US tour, with severe weather conditions pushing the kick-off back an hour. But the Gunners wasted no time in getting up to speed, with Gabriel Martinelli’s deflected strike opening the scoring just five minutes into a first-half played at a rapid tempo.
Orlando were game opponents though and took control, they should have equalised when Benji Michel ran through clear - only for Aaron Ramsdale to save expertly. But the England stopper was left picking the ball out of the net just minutes later, when Facundo Torres arrowed a shot into the bottom corner.
Arsenal turned to their big guns throughout the second half and the added quality was clear to see as they dominated in terms of both possession and chances. And that dominance paid off when Eddie Nketiah fired home an instinctive strike after his strike partner Gabriel Jesus was tackled in the box.
Reiss Nelson then came off the bench to score a well-taken third goal and that's how the game ended with one more game to come in the States, when they face Chelsea this weekend. Here are the main talking points from the win over Orlando City, starting with a look to the stands.
Zinchenko spotted
There were as many eyes on the stands in the Exploria Stadium as there were on the pitch during the early stages of the delayed friendly. And Oleksandr Zinchenko being sat next to technical director Edu appeared to confirm the worst kept secret in football.
The Ukrainian had been spotted in full Arsenal training kit in the hours leading up to kick-off, before getting off the team coach along with his new colleagues.
Expect an announcement in the next couple of days, with the deal bringing the Gunners spending spree to over £100m.
Jesus already the Gunners' talisman
It’s quite remarkable that this was just Jesus’ third appearance in an Arsenal shirt since his move from Manchester City. In that time, he has already assumed the role of the focal point of the attack and the driving force behind the new-look team.
His arrival onto the pitch sparked a quite notable increase in tempo and belief. His movement off the ball allowed others to sparkle and his quality when he did have it was too much for Orlando.
There was also a nice moment after Nketiah found the net where both forwards carried out the celebration which has become synonymous with Jesus. There is clearly a huge amount of admiration from his younger colleague and his impact on Nketiah shouldn't be overlooked moving forward.
If this is Gabriel Jesus a few weeks in, the long-term results could be truly transformative.
More strength in depth required
Arteta has been ruthless in the way he has torn down and then rebuilt the Arsenal squad in his own image. The Spaniard has been heavily backed in successive summer windows, but there are still some clear areas where improvements are required beyond the first XI.
Zinchenko will immediately add depth to the squad, such is his versatility and ability to play in a number of roles. The first-half back four was particularly shaky and the thought of going into a competitive game with Pablo Mari and Nuno Tavares on the same side is a concerning one.
The difference between the quality of Arsenal's first choice line-up and the players that are waiting in the wings was vast in Florida. That will need to be addressed as they continue their development as an upwardly mobile team.
The perfect opponents
With the Premier League season kicking off in just over two weeks, the need for Arsenal’s friendly matches to increase in intensity is paramount. The Gunners were flat footed and slow out of the blocks last term, losing their first three games of the season without scoring.
That could of course happen again, but games like the one against Orlando will surely help. The MLS side, who are still in the playoff hunt in their domestic football, were full of running and were an extremely competitive opponent.
Pato proves he can still play
No longer the prolific striker he was in his youth, Pato operated behind the main striker, but showed all the class which made him - at one point - one of the most highly touted youngsters on the planet.
The Brazilian oozed class when he picked up the ball and looked like a player that could still operate at the highest level. MLS manages to attract names such as Pato as their ascendancy as a league continues and if they are all able to put in showings like that, the quality of the product will only increase further.
