Match report: Brighton 2-2 Arsenal U-23s

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WHAT HAPPENED

William Saliba starred for our under-23s on Friday night as we secured a 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on the road.

Ben Cottrell and James Olayinka were the names on the scoresheet - but it was Saliba who impressed most, showing great composure and quality to dominate play from deep.

We started strong and came close to an opener through Folarin Balogun, who struck the post after regaining possession high up the field.

George Lewis then went on to sting the gloves of Carl Rushworth with a dipping effort, before Salah-Eddine Oulad M’hand and Balogun combined neatly on the edge of the area, only for the latter to be denied by a stunning save.

The hosts then went on to take the lead against the run of play, with Teddy Jenks converting coolly from the spot.

But on the stroke of half-time, Lewis skipped past his marker on the edge of the area with some fine footwork, before playing an inch-perfect pass for Cottrell to finish into the far corner.

The England Under-18 international has now scored in each of our PL2 fixtures this season.

We continued to push forward after the restart and were duly handed our reward, with Saliba playing a key role in the goal.

The France youth international skipped forward out of defence and played a probing pass into the attack, where Olayinka was able to turn and finish into the bottom corner.

We went on to create a number of other promising opportunities, but in the end we were made to pay for our missed chances, as Danny Cashman headed home at the far post for a share of the spoils.