We can win when the result does not matter.
ARSENAL 4-0 BRENTFORD
Four second-half goals were enough to give us a comfortable win over Brentford in a behind-closed-doors friendly at London Colney on Thursday.
Ben White and Gabriel started in a three-man central defence, and both came through unscathed after recent illness and injury problems respectively. The latter also got his name on the scoresheet, lashing home when a clearance fell to him just inside the area, to break the deadlock early in the second half.
But it was Cedric who stole the show late on, scoring a well-taken brace to add some gloss to a valuable work-out for Mikel Arteta's side.
Playing at left wing-back, he lobbed the keeper after breaking the offside trap with 15 minutes left, then rose well to head in Nicolas Pepe's searching cross in the last minute.
Alexandre Lacazette had earlier scored our second, curling home a fine free-kick after Ainsley Maitland-Niles was felled just outside the box.
Nearly all of the players who are not away on international duty were involved, with Aaron Ramsdale enjoying a relatively quiet afternoon in goal.
Pablo Mari started with White and Gabriel either side of him in the middle of the defence, with Calum Chambers playing the full 90 minutes at right wing-back.
Mohamed Elneny partnered Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the midfield, though the Egyptian was withdrawn in the first half, to be replaced by youngster Charlie Patino.
The front line was made up of Gabriel Martinelli, Nicolas Pepe and Lacazette.
Arsenal: Ramsdale, Chambers, White (Hutchinson 76), Mari, Gabriel (Holding 69), Cedric: Maitland-Niles, Elneny (Patino 33); Martinelli, Lacazette, Pepe.
Goals: Gabriel 46, Lacazette 60, Cedric 76, 89.
Copyright 2021 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
Cedric scored twice as we beat Brentford in a behind-closed-doors friendly at London Colney on Tuesday.
Gabriel and Alex Lacazette were also on target in a good workout for Mikel Arteta's men.
Our club photographer was there and sent back these exclusive images:
Copyright 2021 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
Mikel Arteta has hailed the versatility of our new signing, Takehiro Tomiyasu, after his joined the club on transfer deadline day.
The Japan international can play at right back or as a centre back, and is used to a number of different systems, and our manager is confident he will be a big hit in the Premier League.
"We followed him for a while," Arteta told Arsenal Media. "We needed a full back who could be very versatile, can play as a centre back, can play in a back three, Tomi has this capacity.
"He is 22 years old but he has some really good experience in Serie A and at international level and with the qualities we are looking for."
Copyright 2021 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
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