Former Arsenal Flop Returns to Haunt Gunners in Thrilling 3-2 Emirates Heartbreak Against Villarreal
Arsenal's opening match at the Emirates Stadium for the 2025–26 campaign concluded with a frustrating 3–2 loss against Villarreal.
The North London club had secured consecutive victories against AC Milan and Newcastle United during their Singapore tour to begin their pre-season preparations positively. However, their Asian expedition concluded disappointingly last week with a loss to Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong. This marks consecutive defeats for the team.
Nicolas Pépé, regarded as one of Arsenal's most disappointing acquisitions in recent years and still their second-costliest transfer, has been rebuilding his career since moving to Villarreal last summer. The 30-year-old forward required only 17 minutes upon his return to North London to open the scoring, slotting home from close quarters after the Spanish side recycled possession following Pape Gueye's effort hitting the woodwork. It represented a sloppy goal for Arsenal to allow.
Out of respect, Pépé chose not to celebrate his strike.
While Mikel Arteta's side were generating more chances, Villarreal managed to find the net again. Another close-range finish followed, this time from Etta Eyong, who was perfectly positioned in the 33rd minute to capitalize after Raya had initially denied Gerard Moreno.
Arsenal responded almost instantly, with Christian Nørgaard netting his debut goal for the club following his £10 million ($13.4 million) transfer, potentially rising to £15 million ($20 million), from Brentford. Supporters have been praising this shrewd piece of business throughout the summer due to several outstanding pre-season displays, and this far-post header only reinforces that sentiment.
With Arsenal scheduled to play again on Saturday, and the Premier League campaign beginning eight days thereafter, the era of wholesale half-time changes has ended. Instead, Arteta made just two substitutions at the interval, providing crucial minutes and unofficial home debuts to Martín Zubimendi and Cristhian Mosquera, replacing Nørgaard and Ben White respectively.
Following a disjointed opening to the second period, Villarreal reestablished their two-goal advantage. Arnaut Danjuma, a former Tottenham loan player, was the scorer. It came from a rapid counter-attack, with the Dutch attacker maintaining his composure to slot across Raya into the far corner, despite Mosquera's advancing challenge.
Just as before, Arsenal rallied after falling two goals down. Teenage talent Max Dowman earned a penalty, and substitute Martin Ødegaard successfully converted from twelve yards with 16 minutes remaining. However, a third Arsenal goal was not forthcoming.
Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Villarreal (4-3-3)
*Ratings provided by Fotmob*
Player | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: David Raya | 6.2 |
RB: Ben White | 6.2 |
CB: William Saliba | 6.0 |
CB: Jakub Kiwior | 5.9 |
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly | 6.6 |
CM: Ethan Nwaneri | 7.2 |
CM: Christian Nørgaard | 7.6 |
CM: Mikel Merino | 6.9 |
RW: Bukayo Saka | 6.6 |
ST: Viktor Gyökeres | 6.7 |
LW: Gabriel Martinelli | 7.2 |
SUB: Martín Zubimendi (46' for Nørgaard) | 6.7 |
SUB: Cristhian Mosquera (46' for White) | 6.9 |
SUB: Kepa Arrizabalaga (62' for Raya) | 6.0 |
SUB: Gabriel Magalhães (62' for Kiwior) | 6.5 |
SUB: Declan Rice (62' for Nwaneri) | 6.4 |
SUB: Jurrien Timber (62' for Saliba) | 6.2 |
SUB: Martin Ødegaard (63' for Gyökeres) | 7.4 |
SUB: Max Dowman (63' for Saka) | 7.0 |
SUB: Oleksandr Zincheko (77' for Lewis-Skelly | 5.9 |
SUB: Noni Madueke (77' for Martinelli) | 5.9 |
Subs not used: Tommy Setford (GK), Albert Sambi Lokonga, Andre Harriman-Annous.