Mehmet Ali’s young Gunners ended the Premier League 2 regular season in style with an impressive 2-0 win away at Liverpool on Sunday afternoon
We thought we had the perfect start when Amario Cozier-Duberry apparently put us in the lead, only for his effort to be disallowed for offside.
We continued to press forward, with Jurrien Timber and Ismeal Kabia showing their chemistry down the left flank. Their combination play set up a promising opportunity for Ethan Nwaneri, whose shot from outside the area was well-saved.
Our persistence paid off as we finally broke the deadlock with a brilliant team move. Ismeal Kabia made an incisive run, finding Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, who then cleverly squared it across the face of the goal for Amario Cozier-Duberry to tap in, giving us a well-deserved lead.
Barely a moment after the restart, we doubled our advantage in spectacular fashion. Cozier-Duberry cut inside and unleashed a magnificent curling strike into the top corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.
After the break, Brian Okonkwo showcased excellent goalkeeping progress with a sensational triple save to deny the hosts. He twice thwarted Lewis Koumas before denying Kaide Gordon, demonstrating his agility and reflexes to keep our clean sheet intact.
Our attacking threat remained potent, with Nathan Butler-Oyedeji coming close to adding to our tally. He emerged towards goal, but his effort was well-parried away by the opposition goalkeeper, resulting in a corner kick for us.
We managed to see out the game comfortably, maintaining our lead and securing a crucial victory on the road. This impressive win provides us with momentum as we head into the play-offs.
What it means
The result means we remain in fifth in the Premier League 2 regular season with 36 points after 20 games.
However, our fifth place position is not confirmed. If Reading beat Nottingham Forest on Monday, then we will finish the season in sixth place.
What’s next
Given that we finished in the top 16 places, we have qualified for the Premier League 2 play-offs.
As we finished in the top eight, we will host our first play-off game at home. We will know who we are facing in the round of 16 after Reading’s game against Nottingham Forest.
Fixture dates and kick-off times are TBC.
Team news
Arsenal XI: Okonkwo, Sweet, Walters, Heaven, Timber (Quesada-Thorn, 71) Lewis-Skelly (Gower, 76), Henry-Francis, Nwaneri (Nicholas, 87), Cozier-Duberry, Kabia, Butler-Oyedeji
Subs not used: Ranson, Kamara
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