Our under-21s continued their perfect start to the Premier League 2 season, making it three wins from three with a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa on Friday night.
Josh Robinson opened the scoring just beyond the half-hour mark and Khayon Edwards scored from the penalty spot early in the second half, ahead of Nathan Butler-Oyedeji netting our third.
Rory Wilson pulled back a late consolation for the away side, but Sebastian Ferdinand made sure of the win in the closing stages.
WHAT HAPPENED
Villa had the first chance of the game as a corner was headed onto the roof of the net by Kerr Smith, before Ismeal Kabia sent in a cross that just evaded Edwards at the other end.
After Jimi Gower struck the post from a free-kick, Kabia combined with Ismail Oulad M’Hand, allowing Robinson to score from close range and give us the lead with a rebound underneath the goalkeeper.
We got away with one though as Villa hunted an equaliser when Kobei Moore scuffed an opportunity to capitalise from a loose ball in the 18-yard box.
Gower volleyed just wide and Robinson shot into the side netting as we looked for a more comfortable lead, while we held onto the clean sheet with Maldini Kacurri making two important blocks in the six-yard box to deny Triston Rowe and Kyrie Pierre.
After Oulad M’Hand volleyed over the bar from close range, we took a 1-0 lead into half-time.
We were able to double our advantage just shy of the 60-minute mark after Kabia was brought down in the penalty area by Ethan Amundsen-Day. Edwards stepped up to take the spot-kick and sent Sam Lewis the wrong way for 2-0.
It didn’t take long for us to get our third, a long ball over the top from Brian Okonkwo allowing Butler-Oyedeji to go around Lewis and tuck the ball across the line.
Aston Villa had a penalty kick of their own when Charlie Lutz was brought down by Zane Monlouis, and Wilson dispatched from the spot with ten minutes to go.
Ferdinand ensured we had another goal to celebrate at the end of the night though when he fired a great shot into the bottom left corner after receiving the ball from Butler-Oyedeji.
Both teams were reduced to ten men in the 91st minute following a brawl in one of the corners. It was Jamal Jimoh-Aloba and Edwards who were sent off.
WHAT IT MEANS
With nine points out of nine, we go top of PL2, level on points with West Ham United and Nottingham Forest but having scored more goals.
WHAT’S NEXT
We begin our EFL Trophy campaign at Brisbane Road on Tuesday night, facing Leyton Orient’s first team for a 7pm kick-off.
LINE-UPS
Arsenal XI: Okonkwo, Robinson, Kacurri, Heaven (Monlouis 76), Quesada-Thorn (Ismail 70), Oulad M’Hand (Dudziak 76), Gower, Kabia (Ferdinand 80), Edwards, Butler-Oyedeji (C).
Substitutes not used: Rojas.
Aston Villa XI: Lewis, Katsukunya, Patterson (Rowe 38), Smith, Amundsen-Day, Alcock (C), Pierre (Broggio 56), Borland, Moore (Lutz 72), Wilson, Jimoh-Aloba.
Substitutes not used: Proctor, Pavey.
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