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ARSENAL defeated Lyon 2-0 to win the Emirates Cup – but the pre-arranged penalty shootout did not happen after the match.With the Emirates Stadium expecting the penalties after the game, Lyon players instead began to do a training drill much to the confusion of the fans.The Gunners are hoping to end their 20-year-wait without a Premier League title win this season and a trophy before the season starts has got them off on just the right foot.Kick-off time: 2pm BSTStream: Arsenal.comArsenal XI: Raya, White, Gabriel, Saliba, Zinchenko, Rice, Partey, Odegaard, Saka, Havertz, MartinelliLyon XI: Perri, Mata, Caleta-Car, Niakhate, Abner, Matic, Maitland-Niles, Caqueret, Tolisso, Benrahma, MikautadzeThat’s all from the Emirates Stadium!And all from the Emirates Cup!Arsenal have ended pre-season with silverware in their hands; what they would give to make sure that’s the case when the proper campaign concludes next May.Still, heading into the new season in winning ways is not to be sniffed at, and we’ll be here again on Saturday to see if they can kick-off 2024-25 in similar style against Wolves.Until then, thanks for joining us, and goodbye.Copy linkCopiedOminous opening month for GunnersArsenal finished pre-season in style with another impressive home win against European opposition.And it’s probably just as well that the Gunners have looked so good against Lyon and Bayer Leverkusen because their start to the new campaign appears one of the toughest on paper.Amid tricky home tests against Wolves and Brighton – both of whom have shown themselves capable of leaving the Emirates with points in recent season – there are three daunting away trips.Mikel Arteta’s men go to the only side that completed the double over them last term in Aston Villa before a local derby at rivals Tottenham, and a visit to the reigning Premier League champions Man City.Copy linkCopiedArsenal substitutes ratedGabriel Jesus (Rice 65′) – 6Forced to shake off a painful knock to his left ankle but barely got a sniff with the game winding down.Riccardo Calafiori (Zinchenko 65′) – 6   Pushed forward well when given the chance and put in some crunching tackles.Copy linkCopiedArsenal midfield and forwards ratedThomas Partey – 7Looks back to his best. Disruptive in defence and silky with the ball at his feet to spark counters, especially when feeding Saka down the right.Declan Rice – 8Pressing from the front and showcasing his abilities as Arsenal’s corner taker once more, teeing up Saliba and Gabriel in the opening half an hour.Martin Odegaard – 7Quiet but efficient first half. Should have made it 3-0 with a shot just after the break that was well saved.Bukayo Saka – 7Tore Lyon left-back Vinicius Abner to shreds with his darting runs inside and out, having a headed effort saved and another go narrowly wide in the first half.Smacked the post in the second half. Did everything but score.Gabriel Martinelli – 7A real livewire performance that just lacked some cutting edge and coolness that is needed if he is to start ahead of Leandro Trossard next weekend, wasting several opportunities in the first half.Kai Havertz – 6Back as a No.9 after playing in midfield in mid-week and was not as effective. Squandered a decent opening in the 53rd minute.Copy linkCopiedArsenal goalkeeper and defence ratedDavid Raya – 6/10Could have sat on the sidelines for most of the game and not conceded. One hairy moment saw Said Benrahma fluff his lines from a dangerous cross.His first real save came in the 84th minute after a Jorginho error.Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7Dictated on the ball well and pushed high with Lyon struggling to get out. Likely to start against Wolves after a solid pre-season.William Saliba – 8Composed in both boxes. Barely broke sweat in defence and celebrated a simple headed finish from a corner inside the opening 10 minutes.Gabriel – 8When he runs in the opposition box at speed, with his power and physicality, there is no one in world football stopping him. A fine header from a corner after spinning to the back post.Ben White – 7Such is his quality and knowledge of his role that he can drift through games comfortably, never caught out of position and rarely makes a mistake.Copy linkCopiedThe Emirates Cup comes home!Although you could argue it has never left this stadium with the same name.Martin Odegaard collects the trophy from an Emirates representative, and sheepishly lifts it to the skies alongside his bemused teammates. There’s no more than knowing smilew on the facew of these Arsenal players, they know that the serious stuff is about to begin – and if they end up with the Premier League trophy at the end of the season, then the celebrations will be very different.But for now……Emirates Cup champions, you’ll never sing that.Copy linkCopiedPenalty shoot-out cancelled!After all the build-up, there will be no penalty shoot-out at the Emirates Stadium after all.Boos ring around the ground as the bad news is broken to supporters.Never mind the glorious weather, the brilliant attacking football, the opportunity to see international stars, new signings and future talent, these fans must feel cheated by the news.They will have to settle for the upcoming trophy lift.Copy linkCopiedFull time – Arsenal 2-0 LyonArsenal have retained the Emirates Cup, winning their own pre-season competition for a fifth time in six outings.The goals came courtesy of their two starting centre-backs in the first half as William Saliba and Gabriel took it in turn to head home from corners.A quiet second half was all about more minutes in the legs, a first Arsenal showing for Riccardo Calafiori, and another look at the talent that is Ethan Nwaneri.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon90. There will be another two minutes of added time to be played before the two things that 60,000 football fans have really come to see.There will be the Emirates Cup being lifted by the victorious Arsenal players, after a superfluous penalty shoot-out that is literally just for kicks.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon89. Nwaneri showcases his tremendous potential by twisting and turning away from a bemused Lyon defender inside the area.The 17-year-old has quite the future ahead of him.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon87. Odegaard tries to feed Nelson following a quick free-kick, but the winger goes too early and is flagged offside.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon85. Raya stands tall!Having defended an Arsenal corner, Perri launches forward with a long throw, which has Jorginho diving across to block.The crowd groan in unison as the Italian misses with his connection, leaving Nuamah clean through on goal.The Lyon substitute races on and looks to dink over Raya, who stays upright and flicks the subsequent shot away with a strong arm.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon83. Nelson almost catches out Perri with a sliding cross to the near post, but the goalkeeper does just enough to smuggle the ball behind for a corner.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon81. Caliafiori shows great composure to stay with his runner and then beat Orban to the ball, before cooly passing back to Lewis-Skelly in space.The home crowd liked that one.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon79. With Lewis-Skelly’s introduction, the youngster has gone to left-back which means the new centre-back pairing is Kiwior and Caliafiori.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon77. More Arsenal changes, and it’s a time see a couple of the Hale End youngsters.The promising Ethan Nwaneri is on along with Myles Lewis-Skelly, and the two 17-year-olds will be joined on the pitch by Jorginho, Jakub Kiwior, Reiss Nelson and Leandro Trossard.William Saliba, Gabriel, Thomas Partey, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are those to come off.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon75. Fifteen minutes remaining before Arsenal can celebrate Emirates Cup glory.It’s also 15 minutes until this game is concluded with a penalty shootout regardless of the scoreline.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon73. The players take another impromptu drinks break while treatment for Jesus continues.Eventually, the Brazilian is up and ready to play on, and the rest of the players are also ready to go again.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon71. Jesus is not long on, but he’s gone down now and requires treatment.The striker appears to have picked up a knock after arriving late to challenge Tolisso.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon68. Each of Riccardo Calafiori’s early touches are cheered by the Arsenal faithful.And then they urge him on to fly into a challenge as he sizes up his opponent and a potential 50-50.The Italian decides against it on this occasion; save those for Tottenham away next month.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon66. Lyon have made changes too, introducing Mama Balde, Ernest Nuamah, Mahamadou Diawara and Willi Orban to the action.The quartet replace Abner, Maxence Caqueret, Said Benrahma and Georges Mikautadze.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon64. Here comes the change that Gooners have been waiting for!Oleksandr Zinchenko – excellent today from an attacking perspective – is withdrawn, and in comes Riccardo Calafiori for his first appearance in an Arsenal shirt.Also on is Gabriel Jesus, replacing Declan Rice, which is likely to mean a shift into midfield for Kai Havertz.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon62. The Gunners toy with their opponents, working the ball from right to left and back again.Eventually, Odegaard flicks a clever pass in behind for Saka, only for Abner to rescue the situation for Lyon with a last-gasp challenge.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon60. We’ve hit the hour mark and there still hasn’t been any substitutions.Remarkable stuff.Maybe this is a real trophy to be won.Copy linkCopiedArsenal 2-0 Lyon59. Caleta-Car leaves Martinelli in a heap by the corner flag following a firm but fair sliding challenge.The Arsenal fans don’t like it, but the ball was there to be won and that’s exactly what the former Southampton man did.Martinelli picks himself up and walks away holding his shoulder.Copy linkCopied More

TOTTENHAM round off their pre-season preparations with a clash against Bayern Munich today in North London. Harry Kane is expected to be in the Bayern squad today to make his return to Spurs a year after his £100m move to Germany. Kick-off time: 5.30pm BSTStream: TNT Sports 1Spurs XI: To followBayern XI: To followBayern Munich formationBayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany has also opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation against Tottenham.Captain Manuel Neuer starts in goal with Josip Stanisic at right-back and Raphael Guerreiro on the other side, while Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae team up at centre-back.Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic link up in midfield with Jamal Musiala at No10.Thomas Muller covers the right flank with Serge Gnabry on the other side, while Mathys Tel leads the attack.Copy linkCopiedTottenham formationTottenham boss Ange Postecoglou appears to have opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation against Bayern Munich.Guglielmo Vicario starts in goal with Pedro Porro at right-back and Djed Spence on the other side, while Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies link up at centre-back.Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr team up in midfield with James Maddison at No10.Dejan Kulusevski covers the right flank with Brennan Johnson on the other side, while captain Son Heung-min leads the attack.Copy linkCopiedDe Ligt & Mazraoui benchedBayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has included Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to his bench.That is despite the fact the two defenders appear to be set to join Manchester United.According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Mazraoui has signed a five-year deal with the option to extend for another one following a €20m (£17m) deal that includes add-ons.The agreement was completed after Aaron Wan-Bissaka left United for West Ham.De Ligt will also sign a similar deal as Mazraoui but cost a €45m (£38.5m) fixed fee, plus €5m (£4.3m) in add-ons.The payment will also be spread over the next three-year period.Credit: GettyCredit: GettyCopy linkCopiedBayern Munich subsUlreich, Klanac, De Ligt, Goretzka, Kane, Coman, Dier, Palhinha, Laimer, Irankunda, Licina, Fernandez, Mazraoui, Vidovic, Azeko, AznouCopy linkCopiedTottenham subsAustin, Gunter, Udogie, Romero, Van de Ven, Donley, Skipp, Gray, Bergvall, Bentancur, Devine, Moore, Solomon, Werner, LankshearCopy linkCopiedBayern Munich XINeuer, Upamecano, Kim, Kimmich, Gnabry, Guerreiro, Muller, Tel, Musiala, Stanisic, PavlovicCopy linkCopiedTottenham XIVicario, Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Spence, Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison, Johnson, Kulusevski, SonCopy linkCopiedThe team sheets are in!!!Copy linkCopiedHead-to-HeadTottenham and Bayern Munich’s first ever encounter took place way back in 1982 during the Last 16 of the Cup Winners’ Cup in north London and the two sides played out a 1-1 draw.Since then, the two sides have faced off a total of six times across all official competitions.Bayern won a vast majority of four meetings while Spurs only emerged victorious once in the Last 16 of the Uefa Cup back in 1983 when they picked up a 2-0 triumph which led to the quarter-finals.The two teams also faced off in another friendly this summer in South Korea last week.The Bavarians won 2-1 thanks to goals by Gabriel Vidovic and Leon Goretzka before Pedro Porro’s consolation.Credit: APCopy linkCopiedGood afternoon from TottenhamWelcome to SunSport’s live blog coverage of the pre-season friendly between Tottenham and Bayern Munich at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kostas here and I will be bringing you all the live action from north London today.Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou is expected to be without Richarlison and Destiny Udogie as they continue to recover from a calf and thigh injury respectively. Ashley Phillips also poses as a doubt as he is dealing with an unspecified issue.However, Postecoglou has welcomed back Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur and Giovani Lo Celso to training this week.This promises to be an emotional friendly with Harry Kane and Eric Dier both returning to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since their departures last season.Kane and Dier will be presented with commemorative gifts by the North Londoners’ ambassador Ledley King before kick-off.Both Spurs heroes look set to play a big part for Bayern during this game and may even start.However, the Bavarians’ new manager Vincent Kompany may have to make a late call on Jamal Musiala.Musiala is still building fitness after his extended break following an impressive Euro 2024 campaign with Germany in June.Credit: RexCopy linkCopied More

ARSENAL return to English soil TONIGHT with a tough pre-season fixture against German champions Bayer Leverkusen.Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are in the Gunners’ squad for the first time since returning from an extended break due to their summer represeting England at Euro 2024.Arsenal have had an indifferent US tour, having drawn 2-2 with Bournemouth before beating bitter rivals Manchester United in LA.But Mikel Arteta’s men concluded their Stateside schedule with a disappointing 2-1 loss to Arne Slot’s Liverpool.Kick off time: 6pm BSTTV/Stream: Arsenal.comArsenal team: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Vieira, Odegaard, Trossard, Havertz, JesusBayer Leverkusen team: Kovar, Hincapie, Tah, Kossounou, Wirtz, Terrier, Tapsoba, Adli, Garcia, Frimpong, Xhaka.FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSFollow our live blog below…No Calafiori as Saliba startsArsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Havertz; Vieira, Jesus, TrossardSubs: Ramsdale, Setford, Heaven, Lewis-Skelly, Nichols, Partey, Rice, Nelson, Nwaneri, Saka, Martinelli, NketiahCredit: @Arsenal on XCopy linkCopiedReturn of the XhakThe arrival of Bayer Leverkusen to the Emirates this evening means a welcome back to cult hero Granit Xhaka.The Swiss midfielder often had a love-hate affair with the Arsenal faithful during his seven years with the North London club.But his form in his final seasons with the Gunners won over many of his critics, and he is certain of a hero’s reception when he steps out again in front of the Arsenal supporters.Xhaka was an instrumental figure in Leverkusen’s stunning 2023-24 campaign, playing in 50 of their 53 games in all competitions.Copy linkCopiedArsenal’s pre-season so farThe Gunners are back from their tour of America, where they came up against three of their Premier League rivals – and finished with a win, a draw and a defeat to their name.1-1 draw v Bournemouth in California (Vieira), July 25th2-1 win v Man Utd in California (Jesus, Martinelli), July 28th2-1 defeat v Liverpool in Pennsylvania (Havertz), Aug 1stBayer Leverkusen (H), Aug 7thLyon (H), Aug 11thCopy linkCopiedGood afternoon from the EmiratesWelcome to live SunSport coverage of the pre-season friendly between Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen.Yes, the Gunners are back on home soil for the first time this summer. and what better way to welcome back supporters than with a test against the Bundesliga champions.Xabi Alonso’s eye-catching outfit took Europe by storm last season, finishing the domestic campaign unbeaten as they won league and cup.In fact, the only match that the German side lost came in their penultimate contest, the Europa League final against Atalanta in Dublin.As for Mikel Arteta and his squad, they have returned to pre-season with the aim of improving on consecutive runner-up finishes in the Premier League. It’s a 6pm kick-off in the capital, and confirmation of the starting line-ups should be hitting the wires shortly.Copy linkCopied More