It was disappointment for Jack Wilshere as his Arsenal Under-18s side lost the FA Youth Cup final to West Ham on Tuesday night – but there were plenty of positives to take for the Gunners.
Arsenal hosted the prestigious youth competition at the Emirates Stadium in front of an impressive 26,000-strong crowd, which included 7,000 away fans. Yet the hosts were still viewed as the underdogs against a highly-rated Hammers side who beat Arsenal 2-0 in the Under-18s Premier League just 10 days ago and thrashed Southampton 6-1 in the semi-final.
Wilshere’s side started very brightly and took the lead in some style through Omari Benjamin. Reuell Walters, who has been on the bench for Mikel Arteta’s side this season, showed his class by driving forward from defence to feed Amario Cozier-Duberry.
The Arsenal winger drew a sharp save from Hammers keeper Mason Terry, but the rebound came out to Benjamin, who found the corner with a composed finish. That goal could have made it 2-0, had Terry not already made a stunning save from Michal Rosiak’s curling free-kick.
But after their fast start, it all unravelled for Arsenal in the space of a few minutes. George Earthy powered forward from midfield and fired in to make it 1-1 before Callum Marshall tapped in a cross from Gideon Kodua to turn things around.
West Ham skipper Kodua then produced a piece of opportunistic magic, pouncing on a mistake from Josh Robinson to chip Arsenal goalkeeper Noah Cooper from distance. The young Gunners went into the break 3-1 down, having faced just three shots on target.
They improved in the second half, dominating the ball as West Ham sat back and looked to hold onto their lead. Cozier-Duberry hit the side-netting after a great run from Robinson, Ethan Nwaneri spurned a good chance and Rosiak forced Terry into another save, but it wouldn't happen for the Gunners and Kaelan Casey and Josh Briggs added gloss for West Ham from late corners.
While they were desperate to win and match the achievement of Wilshere's vintage in 2008/09, youth football is ultimately about development and spotting stars of the future.
In that regard, it was a fruitful evening for Arsenal, who were outplayed as a team but still had some individuals shine. Right-back Rosiak impressed with his attacking play, forcing Terry into his two best saves of the night.
However, it was the Arsenal wingers who might well have caught the eye of Arteta and his first-team staff. Wilshere's side play in the same 4-3-3 formation as the senior side and it was Benjamin and Cozier-Duberry who played the Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka roles on the night.
As a diminutive right-winger who likes to cut inside onto his left, Cozier-Duberry has a likeness to Saka, who is the most recent success story from the academy. Cozier-Duberry's determined, bustling running style and neat close control was on point all night.
Benjamin grabbed Arsenal's only goal of the night with a cool back-post finish and his aggression was there for all to see as he picked up a frustrated yellow card late on. It may have been Nwaneri who grabbed the headlines as the Premier League's youngest ever player, aged 15, last year, but his team-mates stood out more in the final.
The developments are particularly useful for Arsenal, given they are on the lookout for more depth in wide areas. They have been blessed by the fitness of Saka and Martinelli this season, and they have Reiss Nelson and Leandro Trossard as back-ups, but they are arguably still short in those positions.
Arteta will undoubtedly look to the summer transfer window to strengthen his squad. But this game showed there is emerging talent to look to in the academy as well.
