August 06, (THEWILL) — Arsenal continued their 2025 pre-season preparations with a 3-2 loss against Villarreal at Emirates Stadium. This result extended the Gunners’ winless run to two matches following a prior defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong, despite earlier victories over AC Milan and Newcastle United during their Asian tour. The fixture marked Arsenal’s penultimate home outing before the English Premier League campaign commences in eight days.
Facing his former employers, Villarreal winger Nicolas Pépé opened the scoring after 17 minutes, converting from close range after Pape Gueye’s effort struck the post. Pépé, Arsenal’s second most expensive signing, whose departure followed a challenging period, respectfully refrained from celebrating. The Spanish side doubled their advantage
in the 33rd minute when Etta Eyong reacted quickest to tap in a rebound after David Raya saved from Gerard Moreno.
Arsenal responded swiftly, pulling a goal back almost immediately through new signing Christian Nørgaard. The Danish midfielder, who arrived from Brentford for an initial £10 million fee potentially rising to £15 million, scored his first goal for the club with a well-placed far-post header. Nørgaard’s performance throughout pre-season has generated significant positive discussion among supporters.
Manager Mikel Arteta made only two alterations at half-time, signalling a shift towards EPL readiness, introducing Martín Zubimendi and Cristhian Mosquera for Nørgaard and Ben White. However, Villarreal restored their two-goal cushion early in the second half through Arnaut Danjuma; the Dutch forward finished coolly on a swift counter-attack, beating Raya despite pressure from Mosquera.
The Gunners reduced the deficit once more when teenage talent Max Dowman won a penalty, converted by substitute Martin Ødegaard with 16 minutes remaining. Despite late pressure, Arsenal could not find an equaliser. Attention now turns to their final pre-season fixture this Saturday before the League opener on August 16.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
