Dowman and Salmon start as Arsenal u21s thumped by Chelsea
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Arsenal created enough chances to make the contest far tighter, but Chelsea were much more clinical as David Horseman’s side were punished at both ends.
Photo by Cameron Howard/Getty Images
Max Dowman and Marli Salmon both started as Arsenal Under-21s suffered their first defeat of the Premier League 2 season, going down 4-1 to Chelsea at Meadow Park.
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Arsenal had begun the campaign unbeaten and started brightly here, with Dowman creating the first opening by threading a pass through for James Scanlon. His shot was spilled by Chelsea goalkeeper Freddy Bernal, but Andre Harriman-Annous was unable to make the loose ball count before Bernal recovered.
Chelsea took the lead after 14 minutes when Leo Black reacted to a loose ball inside the penalty area and finished into the corner.
Arsenal responded well and continued to create chances. Scanlon delivered a low cross towards Harriman-Annous, only for Bernal to intervene again.
The visitors then doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time.
Jack Porter had produced an impressive reaction save moments earlier, but Chelsea were awarded a penalty after Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli was brought down and Reggie Watson converted from the spot.
Arsenal continued to push after the break. Porter denied Nicoll-Jazuli again, while Harriman-Annous headed over from Igor Tyjon’s cross before creating another opportunity for Scanlon, whose header was blocked on the line.
Chelsea’s greater ruthlessness was decisive. Watson made it 3-0 with a direct free-kick, his effort finding the corner via the post with 20 minutes remaining.
Scanlon then gave Arsenal some reward for their attacking play with a fine finish from inside the penalty area, but Chizaram Ezenwata restored Chelsea’s three-goal advantage in stoppage time.
Head coach David Horseman felt the scoreline did not fully reflect the contest, with Arsenal creating enough openings to have made the game much closer.
Photo via Arsenal.com
“The game was decided by big moments,” Horseman said, “I think we had plenty of chances to score.
“We didn’t play with enough conviction in the final third, and when we went through one-on-one or could’ve had a tap-in from five or six yards, we didn’t really ram it home where they did.
“I thought that was the biggest difference in the game, and then obviously, once we go behind, you’re chasing as you open up against them.
“They were ruthless with the chances they got, and unfortunately, today, we weren’t with the ones we got, and it punished us in the end.”
The defeat leaves Arsenal with two points from their opening three Premier League 2 matches.
They travel to Birmingham City on Friday, 18 September, looking to respond and get their first win of the league season on the board.