Arsenal had Marquinhos to thank after they salvaged a 1-1 draw in a pre-season outing against Watford.
The Gunners are preparing for their Premier League season opener against Nottingham Forest in a matter of weeks and hosted the Championship side at their London Colney training base. It allowed Mikel Arteta to field a team mixed with senior players, fringe stars and academy hopefuls.
Marquinhos is very much still trying to prove himself at the Emirates having been sent out on loan to Norwich last term, but he scored the Gunners' equaliser ten minutes into the second half, with the contest finishing as a stalemate.
The Brazilian appeared off the bench, as did youngster Amario Cozier-Duberry, whose shot led to Arsenal's equaliser. The Gunners went with a recognisable back four as Gabriel partnered Rob Holding at the heart of defence. Ben White and Cedric completed the back four.
Reiss Nelson, who has recently penned a new deal in north London, featured alongside January signing Leonardo Trossard. Unknown quantities Myles Lewis-Skelly and Mauro Bandeira were also given minutes by Arteta, who named a hefty bench to call upon.
Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah, the club's two main forward options, both began in attack. The former had commanded the No 9 role following his arrival from Manchester City last summer, only to see his season hampered by an injury at the World Cup.
Nketiah filled in during Jesus' absence, performing impressively with several big goals, including the winner in a 3-2 win over Manchester United. He finished with nine goals in all competitions whilst Jesus scored 11, although the lack of a prolific marksman was cited as an issue as the north Londoners fell short.
Arsenal are set to embark on a pre-season tour of the USA, where they will take on an MLS All-Star outfit. They will also face domestic rivals United as well as Barcelona and Monaco. By the time they jet across the Atlantic they could be bolstered by several arrivals.
Declan Rice has been their main target throughout the summer and a £105m deal has been struck with West Ham that will see the midfielder head to the Emirates. A move for Ajax's Jurrien Timber is also close and he will bolster the defensive line.
William Saliba has also committed his long-term future to the club after several weeks of speculation. The young Frenchman has become the key cog of their defensive line and will remain at the club until 2027 on wages of around £200,000-a-week.
