Arsenal misplaced a second sport in six days as targets by Nicolas Pepe, Karl Etta Eyong and Arnaut Danjuma gave Villarreal their first pre-season win with a 3-2 victory at Emirates Stadium.
Pepe, who’s Arsenal’s second-most costly signing after his ill-fated £72 million transfer from Nice in 2019, siezed on slack defending to fireside within the Sixteenth-minute opener from shut vary after Pape Gueye shot towards a put up.
Karl Etta Eyong struck from comparable proximity 17 minutes later after David Raya denied Gerard Moreno, however Christian Norgaard headed in Gabriel Martinelli’s nook earlier than the break.
Lo huele. Lo busca. Lo tiene. Etta Eyong y su idilio con el gol. 👽 pic.twitter.com/qrWqQpxBP9
— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) August 6, 2025
The hosts dominated the beginning of the second half and examined goalkeeper Luis Junior twice in fast succession via fierce photographs from Ethan Nwaneri and Viktor Gyokeres on his first begin for the membership, just for Danjuma to cost on to Santi Comesana’s via ball on the break, enter the field and rifle previous Raya within the 68th minute.
Martin Odegaard diminished the deficit to at least one with 14 minutes remaining, changing a penalty received by the short ft of 15-year-old attacking midfielder Max Dowman, who has been probably the most spectacular performers throughout Arsenal’s pre-season.
Gabriel then missed an opportunity to win the following penalty shootout for Arsenal when Diego Conde tipped the defender’s try towards the crossbar earlier than the substitute goalkeeper denied new signing Noni Madueke in sudden demise to seal a second victory of the night for the Yellow Submarine.
Con mucho veneno.
Att: Danjuma 🐍 pic.twitter.com/c8cKM3W1dM— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) August 6, 2025
Table of Contents
Arsenal vs Villarreal: Defeat for Gunners
Villarreal had by no means scored in three earlier visits to Arsenal however Pepe gave Myles Lewis-Skelly a torrid time early on and Jakub Kiwior was culpable for the primary aim by dallying at point-blank vary because the winger pounced.
Norgaard – a £15m signing from Brentford in July – offered a measure of much-needed aid for the Premier League aspect after these early targets quietened the house crowd, opening his account with a free header within the thirty sixth minute on the again put up.
New defender Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel had been left trailing by the pace of Villarreal’s counter-attack for his or her third and Sergi Cardona was a persistent catalyst for Villarreal together with his pace, trickery and crossing means from the left.
Odegaard, Declan Rice and Oleksandr Zinchenko scored for Arsenal within the shootout however Mikel Merino shot properly vast after ready for Diego Conde to maneuver.
Alberto Moleiro, Danjuma, Comesana and Pau Cabanes scored penalties for Villarreal, whereas former Arsenal mortgage signing Denis Suarez’s effort went comfortably vast and Jean Valou hit the crossbar.
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Arsenal crew vs Villarreal
Arsenal handed a begin to Gyokeres, who joined from Sporting in July for a charge that would rise to £64 million and did properly to check Villarreal’s beginning goalkeeper, Luiz Junior, from a good angle after being performed in by Mikel Merino.
Another new striker, Noni Madueke, was on the bench after lacking Arsenal’s Asia tour whereas recovering from Chelsea’s marketing campaign on the Club World Cup in June and July.
Gabriel and Jurrien Timber had been out injured, whereas fellow defender Riccardo Calafiori was absent after lacking the 1-0 defeat to Spurs in Hong Kong final Thursday with a knee damage.
Forward Leandro Trossard was not risked after limping off in that sport.
Athletic Bilbao additionally go to Arsenal on Saturday (17:00 BST / 12:00 ET / 09:00 PT) and Arteta mentioned he had been anticipating high-level encounters with the LaLiga golf equipment.
“Villarreal are playing at the highest level and have a manager in Marcelino who likes to play a very specific type of system and formation that we will find in the Premier League this season,” predicted the Spaniard.
“Playing towards Spanish opposition would require different issues from us as properly and I anticipate these to be actually good video games.
“When we organize these pre-season matches, I at all times have a look at how the supervisor units up his groups, how they coach their crew, the sort of gamers they’ve, how they practice totally different phases of play towards totally different blocks.
“We have an excellent combination this pre-season. The information and expertise that we acquire from these video games all goes into our ‘database’ to assist us all through the season. It helps for the way in which we have now to evolve our sport fashions.
“Each sport goes to demand one thing from you bodily and [in terms of] the areas it’s important to assault or defend, and alternative ways [opponents] can play of their build-up as properly.
“So we have to nail that and improve that. Playing against Villarreal will help, so it’s a good game for us.”
Arsenal beginning XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Merino, Nwaneri, Saka, Martinelli, Gyokeres
Arsenal substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Setford, Timber, Gabriel, Mosquera, Zinchenko, Lokonga, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Madueke, Rice, Dowman, Harriman-Annous
Villarreal crew vs Arsenal
Willy Kambwala was out for Villarreal with a left hamstring damage the French-Congolese defender sustained throughout their pleasant towards Genoa on July 31.
Cape Verdean defender Logan Costa had surgical procedure on Tuesday for an entire rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, struggling the damage throughout their pre-season opener towards FC Basel on July 19.
Right-back Santiago Mourino, who made his debut within the 1-1 draw at Leeds United on Saturday, saved his place.
Thomas Partey is predicted to signal for Villarreal this week however the former Arsenal midfielder, who will seem at Westminster magistrates courtroom on Wednesdayafter being charged with 5 counts of rape and considered one of sexual assault, wasn’t on board in time for a return to the Emirates Stadium.
Villarreal had been no strangers to the Emirates Stadium, though they’d failed to attain on their three earlier visits.
Kolo Toure’s Forty first-minute opener at residence for Arsenal proved the one aim of the tie within the 2005/06 Champions League semi-finals, with Riquelme lacking a late penalty for Villarreal within the return leg on the Estadio El Madrigal.
The groups met once more in London a quarter-final tie poised at 1-1 after the primary leg in 2009, just for Arsenal to cruise via with a 3-0 win.
Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie scored on that event, and Villarreal are unbeaten within the two encounters between the golf equipment since then.
Under former Arsenal supervisor Unai Emery, Villarreal received the primary leg 2-1 at residence towards Arteta’s crew within the 2020/21 Europa League semi-finals, Manu Trigueros and Raul Albiol scoring earlier than Pepe’s late reply.
The second leg completed 0-0, sending the Yellow Submarine via to a remaining they received 11-10 on penalties towards Manchester United following a 1-1 attract Gdansk.
Villarreal beginning XI: Junior, Mourino, Marin, Foyth, Cardona, Gueye, Moleiro, Parejo, Pepe, Eyong, Moreno
Villarreal substitutes: Gomez, Conde, Navarro, Suarez, Danjuma, Altimira, Comesana, Buchanan, Pedraza, Valou, Cabanes
When does Arsenal’s 2025/26 Premier League season start?
The first round of Premier League matches in 2025/26 will likely be on the weekend of August 16 2025, together with Arsenal’s journey to Manchester United on Sunday, August 17 at 16:30 BST.
The sport towards the 2024/25 Europa League finalists is being proven stay within the UK on Sky Sports Premier League, Ultra and Main Event.
The final spherical of matches this season will all begin on the similar time on May 24 2026. No rounds will happen inside 60 hours of one another and there will likely be no fixture on December 24.
When does Villarreal’s 2025/26 LaLiga season begin?
Having certified for the Champions League by ending fifth final season, Villarreal begin their 2025/26 marketing campaign at residence to Oviedo on August 15 (20:30 BST / 15:30 ET / 12:30 PT).
Their guests had been promoted via the play-offs after coming third within the Segunda Division.
