Jack Wilshere’s young Gunners secured their second consecutive London derby victory to kick off the league season, edging out rivals Chelsea 1-0 on Saturday morning.
The decisive moment came just before halftime when Dan Casey found the net, ensuring a hard-fought win for our side.
The game began with Chelsea on the front foot, nearly taking an early lead when Shim Mheuka's shot went narrowly wide. Moments later, we countered, with Theo Julienne’s header forcing a fine save from Chelsea keeper Jack Austin.
The match took a dramatic turn just 14 minutes in when Chelsea were reduced to 10 men. Harry McGlinchey received a red card for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity after bringing down Andre Annous.
With the numerical advantage, we began to dominate the game and nearly capitalised when Austin fumbled a cross. Unfortunately, we couldn’t convert the loose ball into a goal. Despite being a man down, Chelsea remained a threat, particularly from set pieces, and came close to scoring when Tayo Subuloye’s header struck the crossbar.
Five minutes before halftime, we finally broke the deadlock. Brayden Clarke delivered a superb ball over the top to Dan Casey, who controlled it brilliantly before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
We carried our momentum into the second half, starting strongly with Max Dowman cutting inside and forcing another save from Austin. The Chelsea goalkeeper was called into action again, tipping over a powerful effort from Julienne as we pushed for a second goal.
As the game progressed, another golden opportunity fell to Annous, who was through on goal but couldn’t find the target. Despite our continued pressure, the lone goal from Casey was enough to secure the win.
What it Means
Our back-to-back victories mean we’ve started the season in perfect form, earning a full six points from our first two matches.
What’s Next
Up next, we shift our focus to the Premier League Cup, where we’ll face Liverpool in our opening group stage match on Wednesday, August 28.
The game kicks off at 12 pm (UK time) at the AXA Training Centre.
Team News
Arsenal XI: Ranson, Julienne, Clarke, Sweet, Ismail, Ibrahim, Casey (Akolbire, 76 (Shuaib, 90+3)) Dowman (Marciniak, 61), O'Neill, Bailey-Joseph, Annous
Subs not used: Dixon, Ogunnaike
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