By Lloyd Webb
Donyell Malen scored a fantastic hat-trick to seal a 4-3 victory against Reading at London Colney.
Reiss Nelson and Malen scored in the first half but Ryan East pulled one back for the visitors just before the break.
Malen was on target again immediately after the break and completed his hat-trick with a late winner after Sam Smith and Josh Barrett had made it 3-3.
Franz de Kat made three changes to his starting XI from the weekend draw with Aston Villa.
Nathan Tella and Ilias Chatzitheodoridis started while Yassin Fortune returned to the side having featured for France in the Uefa Under-17 European Championship.
Nelson put the hosts in front with a composed volley after Aaron Eyoma’s effort had been saved early in the first half.
Malen doubled Arsenal’s advantage when he latched onto Nelson’s lofted pass and fired the ball into the bottom corner.
East pulled one back for the visitors, heading the ball past the outstretched Ryan Huddart from a few yards out.
Malen got his second of the game when he capitalised on a defensive error and slotted the ball past Luke Southwood.
Smith lost his marker and poked the ball past Huddart in the 71st minute as Reading looked for a way back into the game.
Barrett equalised with a well-placed penalty into the bottom corner two minutes later.
But Malen slipped through the visitors’ defence and fired past Southwood at the near post for a dramatic late winner.
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