Gabriel Jesus made a stunning impact from the bench as Arsenal came from behind to defeat Nurnberg 5-3 in their first pre-season outing in front of fans.
In his first appearance for the Gunners after his £45million transfer from Manchester City, the Brazilian scored two minutes after his half-time introduction. His powerful strike pulled one back for the visitors after a poor first half which saw them fall behind to goals from Johannes Geis and Kwadwo Duah.
Fellow substitute Mohamed Elneny scored the equaliser before Eddie Nketiah and Jesus combined to force two own-goals from Nurnberg. Lukas Schleimer momentarily pulled one back for the hosts before Jesus grabbed his second after good work from Charlie Patino and Gabriel Martinelli.
The result in Germany follows a 5-1 behind-closed-doors victory over Ipswich Town, while a friendly clash with Everton is up next for the Gunners next weekend. Here are five talking points from the Max-Morlock-Stadion.
1. Bellerin gets the nod
Although Hector Bellerin is pushing to leave Arsenal, Mikel Arteta named his fellow Spaniard in the starting XI for the trip to Germany. The right-back helped Real Betis win the Copa del Rey during a stint on loan in his homeland last season and is expected to leave the Emirates this summer, with less than one year remaining on his contract.
If this run-out was intended as a last hurrah or opportunity to remind Arteta - or onlooking clubs - of his quality, Bellerin was far from at his best. The 27-year-old was one of many players in red and white guilty of sloppiness throughout the pre-season friendly and it is unlikely his meek performance will convince Arteta and Edu he deserves a spot in the squad for the fast-approaching campaign, even if he was handed the captain's armband against Nurnberg.
2. Gunners duo punished
Arsenal found themselves trailing to their 2. Bundesliga hosts midway through the first half after Kieran Tierney lost the ball up the field. The left-back, admittedly, was not helped after pre-season debutant Matt Turner hoofed the ball upfield.
After Nurnberg snatched the ball back in midfield, Lino Tempelmann burst into the Arsenal third, shrugging off Emile Smith Rowe's challenge, into the space left by Tierney. The German midfielder then pulled the ball back to Johannes Geis, who rifled a shot in off the crossbar.
Turner did not shower himself in glory here, either, as the shot appeared to be fairly central but he failed to get near to it. Although he could be criticised for the first goal, there was little the American could have done about Nurnberg's second.
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3. More woe for Arsenal and Tierney
The hosts took just five minutes to double their lead through Kwadwo Duah, who lashed the ball across Matt Turner after yet more sloppiness from the visitors. This time, Albert Sambi Lokonga was the man who gave up possession to hand Nurnberg the kind of shooting opportunity Arsenal had failed to fashion for themselves thus far.
Adding to the Gunners' woes, there was a familiar sight moments later as Tierney went off just after the half-hour mark, with Mikel Arteta sending on Cedric Soares in his place. The Scotland international already appeared to be short of match fitness during the early stages and the prospect of another injury setback to one of his most-creative players is the last thing Arteta needs. That being said, there was no indication Tierney was injured, so a substitution on 30 minutes may have been the plan all along, especially as he was able to complete a warm-down at half-time.
4. Jesus the pick of the substitutes
While Mohamed Elneny was on the scoresheet and Gabriel Martinelli impressed, the second half was all about Gabriel Jesus for Arsenal. Likely with Mikel Arteta's words ringing in their ears, the visitors came out a different team for the second half and it took a matter of seconds for Jesus to combine with Eddie Nketiah - who had been isolated in the first 45 minutes - before lashing in at the near post.
The forward duo continued to link up well throughout their time on the pitch together, forcing the two own-goals from Christopher Schindler and Tim Handwerker which gave the visitors a 4-2 lead. Jesus then ensured Arsenal maintained a two-goal cushion with another fine near-post finish moments after Lukas Schleimer halved the deficit.
5. Arteta's assessment
While it was an entertaining victory which provided plenty of hope for the season to come for Arsenal, the performance against Nurnberg also raised many questions. Nicolas Pepe had a quiet game, Kieran Tierney's fitness remains a concern and the likes of Hector Bellerin and Pablo Mari were given run-outs despite the fact they appear destined to leave the Gunners.
With a clash against Everton on 17 July, Mikel Arteta will be hoping to have a more refined squad at his disposal as he continues trimming and adding to his side's ranks. In the meantime, he and his players have over a week to continue gelling ahead of the new season before their next outing.
