Gunners Wow The States Again As Fiorentina Are Brushed Aside

Eddie Nketiah struck a quarter of an hour into our match with Fiorentina this evening (Saturday but ending Sunday!) and it was no more than we deserved. Having put our mark on the match we wondered if and when the first choice starters would appear, The young Guns have certainly made an impression on this tour.

The Arsenal 1-0 Fiorentina

Olayinka’s effort was close to seeing us double our advantage as the youngsters continued to impress in the opening phases of play.In stifling heat we were making the ball do the work which was impressive to watch.

Emilano Martinez enjoyed an excellent first-half before handing the gloves over to Bernd Leno in the second. When required he was in the right place at the right time. His loan spell at Reading last season has seemingly prepared him for his promotion to our back-up goalkeeper this season. Will he play in the cup ties and Europa League? Let’s hope so.

Leno was called on to make a smart save at the start of the second-half as we adjusted from a back three to a four. At the other end Terraciano was in for a busy spell himself, saving from Reiss Nelson and Alexandre Lacazette before seeing just a yellow card for punching the ball clear when outside of his area.

Around the mid-point of the second-half Lacazette presented yet another opportunity to Nketiah who has the wonderful habit of receiving the ball unmarked in front of goal. It was a second for the young striker and for The Arsenal.

The Arsenal 2-0 Fiorentina

New signing Gabriel Martinelli came on with ten minutes to go and served notice as to his promise with a fine individual run but his attempted finish was wide of the mark. It mattered little as Lacazette again turned provider, this time for Joe Willock, and a comprehensive win was recorded.

The Arsenal 3-0 Fiorentina

The United States tour has been a success so far for the Gunners but without doubt the hardest test remains. At midnight, UK time, on Wednesday we face Real Madrid. Although results at this point of the season mean little it would surely serve some purpose to depart the tour with four morale-boosting wins under the belt?

It’s one last test for the kids to face. They aren’t doing so badly right now.