By Lloyd Webb
Eddie Nketiah’s 19th goal of the season could not prevent Arsenal Under-18s from losing 2-1 to Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.
Savvas Mourgos started in midfield after recently signing a new contract, while Nketiah, Joe Willock and Yassin Fortune were named in attack.
Simranjit Thandi gave the visitors the lead in the 17th minute when his powerful strike flew past the outstretched Joao Virginia.
Willock had a strong penalty appeal waved away when he was clipped in the box by the onrushing Max Bramley, following a good combination with Nketiah.
Nketiah levelled matters before the break when he rounded Bramley and finished from a tight angle.
Kairo Mitchell put the Foxes back in front after the restart, turning in the box and hammering the ball into the bottom corner.
Willock came close to equalising when he capitalised on a rushed clearance but couldn’t get his volley on target.
Nketiah was then denied by the woodwork when he raced into the box and crashed his strike against the bar.
Despite late pressure from the Gunners, Leicester held on to their lead.
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.