Jack Wilshere's youthful Gunners kicked off 2024 in thrilling fashion, clinching a dramatic victory over Aston Villa—a match that saw us being awarded three penalties!
Heading into the new year, our under-18s had maintained an unbeaten streak since October, clinching victories in five of our last six games.
The match opened with a burst of energy from our side, as we displayed clear intention from the start. The first notable attempt came when Omari Benjamin was cleverly played in behind, only to see his shot narrowly miss the target.
Maintaining our dominance, we earned a penalty when Ismeal Kabia was brought down in the box. However, Michal Rosiak's resulting spot-kick was saved, and he could not convert the rebound.
Regrettably, our failure to capitalise on these opportunities proved costly as the hosts took the lead against the run of play, with Rory Wilson tapping the ball home from close range to take the hosts into the break a goal up.
A mere ten minutes into the second half, Kabia's unyielding assault on the Villa defence yielded results as he persistently showcased his exceptional skills. Manoeuvring skillfully to the byline, he found Kamarni Ryan in the box and without hesitation, Ryan capitalized on the opportunity, slotting the ball home to draw us level.
Soon after, Rosiak redeemed himself for his earlier penalty miss by slotting home, propelling us into the lead. Kabia, who had been exceptional throughout the game, played a crucial role in earning the penalty when he was brought down in the box.
However, our lead proved short-lived, lasting less than a minute, as the hosts quickly responded. Cole Brannigan found the net when the ball fortuitously deflected into his path, bringing the score back to level.
In a remarkable turn of events, we regained the lead when we were awarded a third penalty moments later, this time after Benjamin was fouled. Rosiak, showing resilience, stepped up once again and powered his effort into the net, granting us the advantage in the dying moments of the game to secure the three points.
WHAT IT MEANS
The win sees us move up to sixth in the Under-18s Premier League South with 18 points after ten game played.
Our young Gunners also extend their unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions.
WHAT'S NEXT
Our next game sees us host Reading in the Under-18s Premier League on Saturday, January 13.
Kick-off at London Colney is at 12pm (UK).
TEAM NEWS
Arsenal XI: Rojas, Nichols, Kacurri, Sweet, Brown, Rosiak, Ryan (Akolbire, 76), Dudziak, Kabia (Small, 90), Kamara (Obi-Martin, 46), Benjamin
Subs: Cooper, Casey
Copyright 2025 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
