SUMMARY
Arsenal Under-18s rescued a point in the burning embers of this meeting at Bodymoor Heath, thanks to Donyell Malen’s late effort.
Harvey Knibbs gave the hosts the lead in the Midlands, striking after just 33 minutes.
Kwame Ampadu’s side appeared to be heading home with nothing to show for their efforts, until Malen’s dramatic equaliser.
SETTING THE SCENE
Alex Crean started in goal, with Joao Virginia taking up a place on the substitutes’ bench.
Jordi Osei-Tutu and Kostas Pileas occupied the full-back positions, with Zach Medley and Joseph Olowu continuing their partnership in the centre of defence.
Marcus McGuane captained the side and was joined by Robbie Burton in central midfield.
Malen started up front, supported by the triumvirate of Nathan Tella, Trae Coyle and Joe Willock.
FIRST HALF
It was a tough start to the game for Ampadu’s side, with McGuane having to be carried off after just 17 minutes after an innocuous challenge.
The first notable chance of the game fell for the Gunners, with Malen’s outstretched leg diverting a cross goalwards, requiring Viktor Johansson to turn the ball round the post.
The deadlock was broken after 33 minutes, with Knibbs turning home after Crean had parried the initial effort from Kelsey Mooney.
SECOND HALF
Arsenal were given a golden chance to draw level with just two minutes of the game remaining, but Daniel Ballard sent his effort over the crossbar from close range after a lifted pass from Robbie Burton.
It looked as if time would tick away, forcing the Gunners to head back to London empty-handed.
However, Malen reacted quickly to rattle home a low effort in injury time, as Ampadu’s side claimed what could prove to be a valuable point.
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.
