There were goals aplenty at Sobha Realty Training Centre on Saturday as our under-18s won 8-3 at home to Crystal Palace.
Goals from Osman Kamara, Harrison Dudziak and Chido Obi-Martin had us 3-0 up inside just 18 minutes, before Palace pulled one back courtesy of Jesse Derry.
Obi-Martin netted his brace to give us a 4-1 lead at half-time, but Ben Casey scored early in the second half for 4-2.
Our three goal lead was restored though as Obi-Martin completed his hat-trick and Kamara then got his second for 6-2, before Derry got another for Palace. Obi-Martin scored his fourth for 7-3 and Theo Julienne made it eight in the dying embers of the game.
We initially took the lead in the eighth minute when Ismael Kabia’s driven pass into the box was rolled into Kamara’s path by Obi-Martin, allowing Osman to curl it into the top right corner.
Dudziak made it 2-0 when he got the crucial touch on the ball, which was bouncing around in the danger area.
For 3-0, Michal Rosiak played a lovely ball in for Obi-Martin, who simply tapped it past Marcus Hill.
After Derry pulled one back for the visitors, we made it 4-1 when Obi-Martin struck a sensational curling shot into the bottom right corner from 20 yards out.
Casey reduced the arrears early in the second half after going round Jack Porter, but we were awarded a penalty one minute later due to a foul from Mofe Jemide.
Obi-Martin stepped up to complete his hat-trick, smashing the ball into the left of the goal and sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.
It was 6-2 in the 54th minute, Kamara smashing the ball into the bottom right corner after a corner kick came out to him, before Palace scored from the spot when Josh Nichols committed a foul in the 18-yard box. Derry struck to the left with Porter diving the wrong way.
With just one minute of normal time remaining, Obi-Martin capped off a productive shift with his fourth of the day, tucking the ball past the goalkeeper after he was played in by Julienne.
Julienne then got a late goal for himself, producing a sensational solo run and slotting the ball into the bottom left corner, assisted by Nichols.
What it means
We are fifth in U18 Premier League South, two points behind Fulham and four shy of Tottenham Hotspur, but we do have a game in hand on both teams.
What's next
We're back in action at Sobha Realty Training Centre against Fulham on Saturday, March 30 with kick-off at 11am.
Team news
Arsenal XI: Porter, Nichols, Heaven, Sweet (Copley 81), Clarke, Dudziak (C) (Julienne 72), Rosiak, Lewis-Skelly, Kamara, Kabia, Obi-Martin
Substitutes (not used): Asemota, Shuaib, Akolbire
Crystal Palace XI: Hill, Jemide (C), Colin, King, Walker-Smith, Marjoram (Dashi 46), Derry, Austin, Mustapha (Agbinone 46), Gibbard (Grante 45), Casey (Redhead 75)
Substitutes (not used): Williams
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