Arsenal’s Final Dress Rehearsal Ends in a Stalemate, But the Real Show Starts Sunday

The Emirates faithful didn’t get the polished send-off they might have hoped for, but they did get a glimpse of the grit that will define Arsenal’s title chase. In their last warm-up act before the competitive fireworks begin, Mikel Arteta’s men were held to a 1-1 draw by a lively Como side on Wednesday night.

The Gunners struck first, and it was the young Myles Lewis-Skelly who showed the kind of predatory instinct that coaches love to see in a midfielder. Pouncing on a sloppy pass from the Serie A visitors, he made no mistake, slotting the ball home to give the home side a deserved lead. For a moment, it looked like Arsenal might cruise through the final friendly with a clean sheet and a morale-boosting win.

But Como had other ideas. Just before the half-time whistle, they pulled level in style. Martin Baturina, a constant thorn in Arsenal’s side all evening, collected the ball, danced his way through a static defence, and unleashed a ferocious strike that rifled into the roof of the net. It was a goal worthy of winning any match, and it served as a stark reminder that even in friendlies, complacency gets punished.

The second half was a more disjointed affair, with Arteta clearly using the opportunity to shuffle his pack and give fringe players valuable minutes. The scoreline remained locked at 1-1, so the evening was rounded off with a penalty shoot-out, which Arsenal edged 4-3. While shoot-outs in pre-season carry little weight, the confidence boost from converting four spot-kicks is never a bad thing to take into a big week.

Attention now switches to the real business. The Community Shield against Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday is the first piece of silverware on the line, and it’s a chance for Arteta to lay down a marker against his old mentor, Pep Guardiola. Then, next Friday, the title defence officially begins as Coventry visit north London.

If Wednesday night taught us anything, it’s that this Arsenal side has the firepower to break down stubborn defences, but they’ll need to be sharper at the back if they want to go one better than last season. The stage is set. The curtain is about to rise.