Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka netted first-half goals to lead Arsenal to a 2-0 win over Premier League side Everton at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium, in the Gunners’ first of three friendly matches on a preseason tour of the United States.
Manager Mikel Arteta selected a mix of first-teamers and reserves in a starting lineup that included goalkeeper American Matt Turner, who had an comfortable outing between the posts on home soil.
Everton preferred a five-man backline while not offering much of a threat on Turner’s goal in the first half, as Arsenal controlled possession early – with captain Martin Odegaard featuring in front of a solid central defensive pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel.
The two goals came in quick succession late in the first half to break the game open. Recent signing Jesus, who was making his first start for Arsenal, collected the ball from a Cedric Soares corner kick and fired home at the far post in the 33rd minute.
Jesus picked up an assist three minutes later, as the Brazilian’s pass found a surging Saka down the right flank for a tap-in past Everton keeper Jordan Pickford.
With the 2-0 advantage, the Gunners made six changes to start the second half, with Eddie Nketiah leading the line after the break.
He and Gabriel Martinelli had the best of the remaining chances on goal for Arsenal, while Everton saw more of the ball in the second period after Salomon Rondon and former Gunner Alex Iwobi entered the match for the Toffees.
Speaking at a press conference following the match, Arteta was especially pleased with his side’s first-half performance in the 2-0 victory. to arsenal.com. “I think the first half we were really good, really intense. We understood where the spaces were and the execution was really good,” he told arsenal.com.
“The second half we started a bit sloppy. We changed the formation and we had too many giveaways, it didn’t give us control of the match,” continued Arteta. “In the last 20 minutes we changed again and I think we got control again. Overall the boys have done what they are doing in training. They are training really well, really high intensity in every session and you can see the way they play.”
The manager credited the fans in Baltimore for having a positive impact on the squad. “I think it was 40,000 supporters here, 35,000 Arsenal fans, so thank you so much. For them to come, they really make a difference, the players appreciated that and that’s why they did the lap of honour with them,” he told arsenal.com
The team will fly to Orlando to begin the second leg of the U.S. tour, with additional matches scheduled against MLS side Orlando City at Exploria Stadium on July 20 and rival Chelsea at Camping World Stadium on July 23.