Arsenal lost a second game in six days when Nicolas Pepe’s goals, Karl Etta Eyong and Arnaut Danjuma gave Villarreal their first pre-season victory with a 3-2 victory at the Emirates Stadium.
Pepe, which is the second most expensive signature of Arsenal after its unhappy move of 72 million pounds sterling in Nice in 2019, Sizé on Slack defending herself during the opening of the 16th minute at close range after Pape Gueye shot against a post.
Karl Etta Eyong struck a similar beach 17 minutes later after David Raya denied Gerard Moreno, but Christian Norgaard headed in the corner of Gabriel Martinelli before the break.
It feels it. He is looking for it. He has it. Etta Eyong and her romance with the goal. 👽 pic.twitter.com/qrwqqpxbp9
– Villarreal CF (@villarrealcf) August 6, 2025
The hosts dominated the start of the second half and tested the goalkeeper Luis Junior twice in rapid succession through fierce shots of Ethan Nwaneri and Gyoker, only for Danjuma to take care of Santi-Come de Santia through the ball at the break, enter the box and the rifle after Raya in the 68th minute.
Martin Odegaard reduced the deficit to one with 14 minutes to play, converting a penalty won by the rapid feet of the midfielder attacking Max Dowman, 15, who was one of the most impressive artists of the pre-season of Arsenal.
Gabriel then missed a chance to win the penalty shootout that followed for Arsenal when Diego Conde tipped the defender’s attempt against the crossbar before the replacement goalkeeper receives the new signature of Noni Madueke in sudden death to seal a second victory of the evening for the yellow submarine.
With a lot of poison.
What: Danjuma 🐍 pic.twitter.com/c8ckm3w1dm– Villarreal CF (@villarrealcf) August 6, 2025
Arsenal vs Villarreal: defeat for the artillerymen
Villarreal had never scored during three previous visits to Arsenal, but Pepe gave Myles Lewis-Skelly a hot period earlier and Jakub Kiwior was guilty for the first goal in dallying at the chest range while the winger jumped.
NORGAARD – A signature of 15 million Brentford sterling pounds in July – provided an essential relief measure for the Premier League team after two early goals have appeased the crowd at home, opening its account for its new club with a free header in the 36th minute in the corner of Gabriel Martinelli.
The new defender Critthian Mosquera and his central rear colleague Gabriel were left at the speed of the counterattack of Villarreal for their third and Sergi Cardona was a persistent catalyst of Villarreal with his speed, his cunning and his capacity to cross the left.
Odegaard, Declan Rice and Oleksandr Zinchenko scored for Arsenal during the shooting, but Mikel Merino turned well after waiting for Diego Conde Bouge.
Alberto Moleiro, Danjuma, Comesana and Pau Cabanes have marked penalties for Villarreal, while the old Arsenal loan signing that Denis Suarez’s effort has become comfortably wide and Jean Valou struck the crossbar.
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Arsenal Team vs Villarreal
Arsenal gave a start to Gyokerres, who joined Sporting in July for costs that could reach 64 million pounds sterling and did not have a significant impact during the first stages.
Another new striker, Noni Madueke, was on the bench after missing the Arsenal tour in Asia when she recovered from the Chelsea campaign to the club World Cup in June and July.
Gabriel and Jurrien Timber were injured, while his colleague defender Riccardo Calafiori was absent after missing 1-0 defeat against the Spurs in Hong Kong last Thursday with a knee injury.
The striker Leandro Trossard was not risky after drinking in this match.
Athletic Bilbao also visits Arsenal on Saturday (5:00 p.m. BST / 12:00 p.m. and / 09:00 pt) and Arteta said he expected high -level meetings with Laliga clubs.
“Villarreal plays at the highest level and has a manager in Marcelino who likes to play a very specific type and training that we will find in the Premier League this season,” predicted the Spaniard.
“Playing against the Spanish opposition will also require other things from us and I expect very good games.
“When we organize these pre-season matches, I always watch how the manager establishes his teams, how they train their team, the kind of players they have, how they form different game phases against different blocks.
“We have a very good mixture of this pre-season. The knowledge and experience we gain from these games come into our “database” to help us throughout the season. This helps how we have to develop our game models.
“Each match will require something to you physically and [in terms of] The spaces you need to attack or protect, and different ways [opponents] can also play in their accumulation.
“So we have to nail that and improve this. Playing against Villarreal will help, so it’s a good game for us.”
Arsenal Start XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Merino, Nwaneri, Saka, Martinelli, Gyokerres
Arsenal substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Setford, Timber, Gabriel, Mosqua, Zinchenko, Longuna, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Madueke, Rice, Dowman, Harriman-Annous
Villarreal VS Arsenal team
Willy Kambwala was absent for Villarreal with a left-back injury that the French defender-cololais suffered during their friendly match against Genoa on July 31.
Cap Verdean defender Logan Costa took place on Tuesday for a complete break in the previous cross ligament in his left knee, undergoing the injury in their first pre-season match against Basel FC on July 19.
The right back Santiago Mourino, who made his debut during the 1-1 draw in Leeds United on Saturday, kept his place.
Thomas Parte should sign for Villarreal this week, but the former Arsenal midfielder, who will appear in Westminster Magistrates short Wednesday after being accused of five rape chiefs and one of sexual assault, was not on board for a return to the Emirates stadium.
Villarreal was not foreigners at the Emirates stadium, although they failed to score during their three previous visits.
The Kolo Toure opening match in the 41st minute at home for Arsenal turned out to be the only goal of the draw in the semi-final of the 2005/06 Champions League, Riquelme missing a late penalty for Villarreal as a step back to El Madrigal.
The teams met in London again in equality in the quarter-final on 1-1 after the first stage in 2009, only for Arsenal to pass with a 3-0 victory.
Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin Van Persie marked this occasion, and Villarreal has been undefeated in the two games between clubs since then.
Under the former manager of Arsenal Unai Emery, Villarreal won the first 2-1 home floor against the Arteta team in the semi-finals of the Europa 2020/21 league, Manu Trigueros and Raul Albiol marking before Pepe’s late response.
The second floor finished 0-0, sending the yellow submarine to a final, they won 11-10 for penalties against Manchester United after a 1-1 draw in Gdansk.
Villarreal Start XI: Junior, Mourino, Marin, Foyth, Cardona, Gueye, Moleiro, Parejo, Pepe, Eyong, Moreno
Villarreal substitutes: Gomez, Conde, Navarro, Suarez, Danjuma, Altimira, Comeana, Buchanan, Pedraza, Valou, Cabanes
When when the Premier League season begins in 2025/26 from Arsenal?
The match against the finalists of the Europa League 2024/25 is presented live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Premier League, Ultra and Main Event.
The last round of matches this season will all start at the same time on May 24, 2026. No round will take place within 60 hours of each other and there will be no match on December 24.
When when the Villarreal season begins in 2025/26 in Laliga?
Having qualified for the Champions League in finishing fifth last season, Villarreal began its 2025/26 campaign at home in Oviedo on August 15 (20:30 BST / 15:30 and / 12:30 pt).
Their visitors were promoted during the playoffs after being third in the Segunda division.
