Arsenal came out as 3-0 winners against Lyon in the first match of the Dubai Super Cup. They gained an extra point as they won the penalty shootout 2-1 with Karl Hein making four saves in an impressive display to keep a clean sheet.
Mikel Arteta had some pressure in this game despite the fact it had nothing riding on it in any competitive capacity beyond a mid-season minor trophy. However, Arsenal are without their main striker Gabriel Jesus and seeing Eddie Nketiah step up to score was the perfect sight.
However, there were some moments in the game that might have been missed from the first watch. football.london rounds up all the moments that were spotted beyond the goals and big talking points.
READ MORE: Arsenal vs Lyon highlights: Nketiah, Vieira and Gabriel on target as Gunners ease to victory
Oleksandr Zinchenko missing
Despite playing in the final Premier League game before the World Cup and travelling to Dubai, Oleksandr Zinchenko was not in the squad. Kieran Tierney started at left-back and played well with youngster Lino Sousa replacing him.
Mikel Arteta however did not provide an update on the Ukrainian after the game. The next opportunity to find out more about the full-back will come next week.
Lino Sousa impresses
At both ends of the field, the January signings from this year shone in his first official senior showing. Lino Sousa played in the behind-closed-doors friendly against Watford, but with the television cameras on him Sousa did well.
Defending a great run from Bradley Barcola, Sousa managed to get his foot in to stop the youngster from scoring and breaking the clean sheet. Up the other end he put a great cross into the box that couldn’t be converted to show his ability in both ends of the field.
A new captain
When Mikel Arteta decided to make nine changes to add to Marquinhos’ half-time arrival, the decision was made to hand the captain’s armband to Matt Smith. Smith has featured on the Arsenal bench on a number of occasions, but despite Karl Hein, Marquinhos and Ethan Nwaneri having made their senior debuts at the competitive level, Arteta trusted Smith with the leadership duties.
Smith has been a long-term figure in Arteta’s squads despite being with the under-21s still. He pocketed a FA Cup winners medal in 2020 when the then head coach called him up to the bench.
Nketiah takes on the Jesus role
Gabriel Jesus’ absence is a huge blow to the team. However, Eddie Nketiah’s goal will do plenty to ease the worries of the former’s stint on the sidelines.
The key takeaway aside from the goal however was how Nketiah played. There was plenty of his typical hanging off the last defender, which is where his goal came from, however, he also dropped into the midfield on occasion to pick up direct passes from the centre-halves and create space.
There appeared to be a conscious effort to mimic Jesus’ style that Nketiah isn’t typically known for. Another chance to show his new efforts will come next week against AC Milan.
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