Though I am still in shock that this garbage is coming from Sunderland, I am thrilled when Khayon Edwards scores a goal to tie the score as Arsenal U21s rally from behind to defeat Sunderland.
With a 2-1 victory over Sunderland, Arsenal U21s wrapped up 2023 in spectacular fashion, led by a brace from Khayon Edwards.
Just before halftime, the youthful Gunners fell behind, but they bounced back with a fantastic performance in the second half, led by assists from Charles Sagoe Jr. and Ethan Nwaneri.
Arsenal’s winning streak in Premier League 2 now stands at six games. Amario Cozier-Duberry had some strong performances, and defenders Reuell Walters and Lino Sousa also performed admirably.
Before the Christmas break, Mehmet Ali’s team is ranked fourth out of 26 teams.
Myles Lewis-Skelly and Walters both participated after sitting out yesterday’s first-team game. Josh Nichols, a second-year student, took over at right-back as James Sweet remained out.
Bradley Ibrahim, Jimi Gower, and Taylor Foran were all absent for Arsenal. Ismeal Kabia, who entered the fight late to make his debut at this level, and Harrison Dudziak were both named on the bench. Hubert Graczyk, the goalkeeper, was also included in the substitutes despite only being called up twice this year.
Early on, Arsenal looked impressive with their all-yellow uniforms, and Cozier-Duberry had a shot saved.
Edwards was the next to try his luck; however, after Walters had reclaimed the ball due to a mistake by the goalkeeper, the striker was also denied by Nathan Bishop.
Then Sunderland began to threaten; Ovie Ejeheri was called upon to make a save after one attempt went wide.
As Cozier-Duberry persisted in creating havoc on the opposing end, he found teammate winger Sagoe Jr., whose attempt was saved for a corner.
After the set-piece failed to produce any results, Sunderland exerted consistent pressure on Arsenal. Eliezer Mayenda’s attempt was deflected wide, and Ejeheri had to make two saves after giving the ball away.
For Sunderland, Nazarii Rusyn squandered a clear opportunity, but the forward made up for it moments later by giving the home team the lead with a header.
Arsenal attempted to react quickly in the final minutes of the first half, but Nwnaeri and Cozier-Duberry missed opportunities, and they trailed at the half.
With newfound vigor, Arsenal came out for the second half and soon found themselves level, thanks to a goal from Edwards that Sagoe Jr. found.
Soon after, Edwards hit the net once more, but this time it was disregarded for a handball. Next, Sagoe Jr.’s attempt was stopped as he pounced on a well-placed cross from Nwaneri.
Sagoe Jr. and Cozier-Duberry both had more opportunities as Arsenal kept up the pressure.
But with Walters and Sousa both playing solid defense, Arsenal still had some issues to resolve at the other end of the field.
Nwaneri, who had started a fantastic run, found Edwards and saw a shot pushed behind for a corner.
Subsequently, the identical duo came together to score the game’s game-winning goal. After doing a good job of winning the ball in the beginning, Sagoe Jr. found Nwaneri, who then played in Edwards to score his eighth league goal of the year.
To close off the match, Arsenal made a number of late substitutions: Kabia, Ayden Heaven, and Ismail Oulad M’Hand; Kabia made his U21 debut.
Ali will be pleased with his team’s effort in the second half, as Arsenal responded admirably to their Bristol Street Motors Trophy elimination.
The U21 team has shown some encouraging performances in the league thus far this year, but if some players depart on loan in January, it is possible that the roster is little dispersed.
However, there has been some encouraging progress, and the squad had a solid balance tonight with some outstanding defensive plays and performances from the front three of Cozier-Duberry, Edwards, and Sagoe Jr.
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