U18s: Brighton 2-4 Arsenal

By Lloyd Webb 

Arsenal Under-18s recovered from a two goal deficit to beat Brighton 4-2 away from home. 

All goals came in the second half as Brighton scored twice in in quick succession after the break as Jordan Maguire-Drew and Thomas Byrne got on the scoresheet. 

An Edward Nketiah brace, Yassin Fortune and a Savvas Mourgas penalty secured the win in a thrilling second-half.

Frans de Kat made three changes to the side that lost to Reading in the Under-18s Premier League.

Ryan Huddart, Ilias Chatzitheodoridis and Marcus Agyei-Tabi were included in De Kat’s starting XI. 

Brighton started the game well and created a chance seconds after kick-off as Max Sanders forced Ryan Huddart into a good save.

Aaron Eyoma had Arsenal’s best chance of the half when Jordan Osei-Tutu threaded a ball for the forward to cut in from the flank but he hammered his shot over the bar.

Maguire-Drew opened the scoring a minute after the break when he turned on the edge of the box and drilled a shot into the top corner. Byrne doubled the lead moments after when he poked the ball past Huddart. 

Nketiah pulled one back for the Gunners when he converted Jordan Osei-Tutu’s low cross. Osei-Tutu continued his torment down the flank and following a scramble, substitute Fortune finished into an empty net to level the score. 

Nketiah got his second when he flicked the ball into an empty net after Robert Sanchez failed to hold onto Reiss Nelson’s 25 yard strike. Mourgos put the game beyond doubt moments from the end as he won a penalty and held his nerve to score.