Nicolas Pepe pounced to fire in Villarreal’s first ever goal at Arsenal as Myles Lewis-Skelly and Jakub Kiwior were caught out for the 16th-minute opener in a pre-season friendly at Emirates Stadium.
Winger Pepe, who is Arsenal’s second-most expensive signing courtesy of his ill-fated £72 million move from Nice in 2019, struck from close range after Pape Gueye sent a shot from outside the box against a post and goalkeeper David Raya could not hold Gerard Moreno’s header.
Karl Etta Eyong repeated the trick 17 minutes later from similarly close quarters after Raya’s fine stop from Moreno’s strike, but Christian Norgaard provided a measure of much-needed relief for the Premier League side, opening his account for his new club with a free header in the 36th minute from Gabriel Martinelli’s corner.
“It’s good play from Villarreal but really poor from Arsenal, who switched off,” former Gunners winger Perry Groves told Arsenal’s website of the first goal, adding of the second: “It’s really sloppy defending – no-one goes with the runner.”
Lo huele. Lo busca. Lo tiene. Etta Eyong y su idilio con el gol. 👽 pic.twitter.com/qrWqQpxBP9
— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) August 6, 2025
Arsenal vs Villarreal: Lewis-Skelly ‘has to be quicker’
Left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly struggled to contain Pepe on the right flank for the side who qualified for the Champions League with a fifth-placed finish in last season’s LaLiga.
“It was very good play from Pepe,” said Groves, a two-time top-flight champion with Arsenal. “Lewis-Skelly has got to get himself a lot closer.
“Gueye had far too much space and got a shot away that came off a post. Villarreal recycled it again and we’re not quick enough to get to the first and second balls.
“Kiwior’s trying to shield the ball [in front of goal] when he should be swiping it with his left foot. Pepe runs round the back of him.
“It’s pre-season and I know things are a little bit rusty but Lewis-Skelly has got to get to Pepe quicker in general play, because that stops him picking his pass.”
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Christian Norgaard: First Arsenal goal
As he had been for their first, Sergi Cardona was the catalyst for Villarreal’s second with his speed, trickery and crossing ability from the left.
“Nobody goes with the runner,” observed Groves. “It’s a really good save from David Raya, who gets a big left hand to it.”
Midfielder Norgaard, who arrived from Brentford for £15m in July, planted his header under goalkeeper Luiz Junior.
“He’s completely unmarked at the far post,” said Groves. “It’s a very good technical header. He gives Luis Junior no chance.
“That just gets us back in the game because it had all gone a bit flat at the Emirates.
“The crowd needed something to get their teeth into and Norgaard has given them that. That was a Declan Rice delivery from Martinelli.”
Arsenal lineup, team news v Villarreal
Arsenal handed a start to Viktor Gyokeres, who joined from Sporting in July for a fee that could rise to £64 million and failed to make a significant impact during the early stages.
Another new striker, Noni Madueke, was on the bench after missing Arsenal’s Asia tour while recovering from Chelsea’s campaign at the Club World Cup in June and July.
Gabriel and Jurrien Timber were out injured, while fellow defender Riccardo Calafiori was absent after missing the 1-0 defeat to Spurs in Hong Kong last Thursday with a knee injury.
Forward Leandro Trossard was not risked after limping off in that game.
Athletic Bilbao also visit Arsenal on Saturday (17:00 BST / 12:00 ET / 09:00 PT) and Arteta is expecting high-level encounters with the LaLiga clubs.
“Villarreal are playing at the highest level and have a manager in Marcelino who likes to play a very specific type of system and formation that we will find in the Premier League this season,” predicted the Spaniard.
“Playing against Spanish opposition will require other things from us as well and I expect these to be really good games.
“When we arrange these pre-season matches, I always look at how the manager sets up his teams, how they coach their team, the kind of players they have, how they train different phases of play against different blocks.
“We have a very good mixture this pre-season. The knowledge and experience that we gain from these games all goes into our ‘database’ to help us throughout the season. It helps for the way we have to evolve our game models.
“Each game is going to demand something from you physically and [in terms of] the spaces you have to attack or protect, and different ways [opponents] can play in their build-up as well.
“So we have to nail that and improve that. Playing against Villarreal will help, so it’s a good game for us.”
Arsenal starting XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Merino, Nwaneri, Saka, Martinelli, Gyokeres
Arsenal substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Setford, Timber, Gabriel, Mosquera, Zinchenko, Lokonga, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Madueke, Rice, Dowman, Harriman-Annous
Villarreal team news, lineup v Arsenal
Willy Kambwala was out for Villarreal with a left hamstring injury the French-Congolese defender sustained during their friendly against Genoa on July 31.
Cape Verdean defender Logan Costa had surgery on Tuesday for a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, suffering the injury during their pre-season opener against FC Basel on July 19.
Right-back Santiago Mourino, who made his debut in the 1-1 draw at Leeds United on Saturday, kept his place.
Thomas Partey is expected to sign for Villarreal this week but the former Arsenal midfielder, who will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesdayafter being charged with five counts of rape and one of sexual assault, wasn’t on board in time for a return to the Emirates Stadium.
Villarreal are no strangers to the Emirates Stadium, although they had failed to score on their three previous visits.
Kolo Toure’s 41st-minute opener at home for Arsenal proved the only goal of the tie in the 2005/06 Champions League semi-finals, with Riquelme missing a late penalty for Villarreal in the return leg at the Estadio El Madrigal.
The teams met again in London a quarter-final tie poised at 1-1 after the first leg in 2009, only for Arsenal to cruise through with a 3-0 win.
Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie scored on that occasion, and Villarreal are unbeaten in the two encounters between the clubs since then.
Under former Arsenal manager Unai Emery, Villarreal won the first leg 2-1 at home against Arteta’s team in the 2020/21 Europa League semi-finals, Manu Trigueros and Raul Albiol scoring before Pepe’s late reply.
The second leg finished 0-0, sending the Yellow Submarine through to a final they won 11-10 on penalties against Manchester United following a 1-1 draw in Gdansk.
Villarreal starting XI: Junior, Mourino, Marin, Foyth, Cardona, Gueye, Moleiro, Parejo, Pepe, Eyong, Moreno
Villarreal substitutes: Gomez, Conde, Navarro, Suarez, Danjuma, Altimira, Comesana, Buchanan, Pedraza, Valou, Cabanes
Is Arsenal v Villarreal on TV? Channels, online streams
Arsenal against Villarreal kicked off at 18:00 BST / 13:00 ET / 10:00 PT on Wednesday. The game is not being screened on TV but can be watched via Arsenal’s website.
The game costs £6.99, with a bundle including the game against Athletic Bilbao starting at £10.99.
There are repeat showings three and six hours after full time.
When does Arsenal’s 2025/26 Premier League season start?
The first round of Premier League matches in 2025/26 will be on the weekend of August 16 2025, including Arsenal’s trip to Manchester United on Sunday, August 17 at 16:30 BST.
The game against the 2024/25 Europa League finalists is being shown live in the UK 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 rounds will take place within 60 hours of each other and there will be no fixture on December 24.
When does Villarreal’s 2025/26 LaLiga season start?
Having qualified for the Champions League by finishing fifth last season, Villarreal start their 2025/26 campaign at home to Oviedo on August 15 (20:30 BST / 15:30 ET / 12:30 PT).
Their visitors were promoted through the play-offs after coming third in the Segunda Division.
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2025-08-06 20:17:31
