Arsenal showcased their dominance with a decisive 4-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in their penultimate pre-season friendly at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night. This performance serves as a strong indicator of their readiness for the upcoming season. Early goals from Oleksandr Zinchenko and Leandro Trossard set the tone for the match, following the team's summer tour in the USA. Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz also contributed to the scoreline, as Mikel Arteta’s confident squad overcame last season’s formidable German double winners, who narrowly missed an unbeaten season under Xabi Alonso and lost the Europa League final to Atalanta.
Arsenal, still anticipating the arrival of new signing Riccardo Calafiori, began the match with high intensity, taking the lead within the first eight minutes. Zinchenko initiated and completed a swift attacking move, releasing Havertz down the left flank before firing a low shot into the bottom corner after a clever layoff from captain Martin Odegaard.
The Gunners quickly doubled their advantage when Leverkusen's attempt to play out from the back backfired. Trossard capitalized on the error, and after a series of passes involving Odegaard, Jesus, and Havertz, he calmly slotted the ball into the net, evading a desperate sliding challenge.
Trossard later forced Leverkusen's goalkeeper Matej Kovar into a diving save with a long-range effort, while Odegaard had two shots blocked. Arsenal extended their lead to three goals before halftime when Jesus intercepted a poor throw-in from Leverkusen, surged forward, and saw his weak shot inadvertently redirected into the net by Kovar, who should have done better.
Leverkusen, who were behind Arsenal in their pre-season preparations with the Bundesliga season starting a week after the Premier League, appeared sluggish and lacking in both energy and quality. Their first-half efforts were limited to a few promising runs from Jeremie Frimpong and a blocked shot from Odilon Kossounou, with David Raya only called into action just before the break.
At halftime, Arteta made strategic substitutions, introducing Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Jakub Kiwior, and Myles Lewis-Skelly, giving the England duo their first minutes of pre-season after extended breaks following their Euro 2024 final run.
Leverkusen's Nathan Tella volleyed off target, and they survived a penalty appeal after a physical encounter between Havertz and Jonathan Tah. Havertz then made it 4-0 after Aleix Garcia failed to clear the ball in his own box, following a strong run from promising young talent Ethan Nwaneri and a dangerous low cross from Saka.
Leverkusen managed to score a consolation goal 15 minutes from time when Tella assisted Czech forward Adam Hlozek, who finished cleverly past Raya. However, last season's late-game specialists never looked likely to mount a comeback, instead reflecting on an unusually poor performance as they prepare for their final friendly against LaLiga side Real Betis and their upcoming German Super Cup clash with Stuttgart.
For Arsenal, only Lyon remains on their pre-season schedule before they kick off the new Premier League season at home against Wolves on August 17.
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