Arsenal suffered another preseason defeat, this one at Emirates Stadium in north London, as Mikel Arteta’s men were beaten 3-2 by La Liga side Villarreal on Wednesday.
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Nicolas Pepe, who was once Arsenal’s club-record signing ($87 million), opened the scoring and put Villarreal ahead after 17 minutes and it was 2-0 after 17 minutes as Etta Eyong cleaned up David Raya’s rebound. Christian Norgaard almost instantly pulled a goal back with a header at the back post (after a corner kick) in the 36th minute.
Arteta made two subs at halftime and six more right after the hour mark, at which point Arsenal were still 2-1 down but very much on the front foot. Five minutes after the second wave of subs, former Tottenham Hotspur loanee Arnaut Danjuma capped a lightning-quick counter-attack with a heavy finish for 3-1. Martin Odegaard converted from the penalty spot in the 76th, but that’s as close as the Gunners got.
Arsenal were beaten by 1-0 by Spurs in Hong Kong last week, the first time the north London derby had ever been played away from UK soil. The Gunners will host Athletic Bilbao back at the Emirates on Saturday (12 pm ET) for their final preseason game, before beginning the new Premier League season against Manchester United at Old Trafford next Sunday (11:30 am ET).
Player ratings - Arsenal vs Villarreal
How to watch Arsenal vs Villarreal live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 1pm ET Wednesday (August 6)
Venue: Emirates Stadium — London
TV Channel/Streaming: Arsenal.com
Arsenal vs Villarreal live updates - by Andy Edwards
Arsenal vs Villarreal final score: 2-3
Goalscorers: Nicolas Pepe (16'), Etta Eyong (34'), Christian Norgaard (36'), Arnaut Danjuma (68'), Martin Odegaard (76' - PK)
GOAL! Arsenal 2-3 Villarreal: Odegaard converts from the penalty spot (76')
GOAL! Arsenal 1-3 Villarreal: Danjuma finishes far post after a lightning-quick counter (68')
Con mucho veneno.
— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) August 6, 2025
Att: Danjuma 🐍 pic.twitter.com/c8cKM3W1dM
GOAL! Arsenal 1-2 Villarreal: Norgaard stoops to head home at the back post (36')
GOAL! Arsenal 0-2 Villarreal: Eyong cleans up after Raya makes the initial save (34')
Lo huele. Lo busca. Lo tiene. Etta Eyong y su idilio con el gol. 👽 pic.twitter.com/qrWqQpxBP9
— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) August 6, 2025
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Villarreal: Pepe scores the opener against his former club (16')
Y cuando parecía que el balón no quería entrar, ¡apareció Nicolas Pepe 🎯!
— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) August 6, 2025
🟥⬜ Arsenal 0-1 Villarreal 🟡🔵 (19') pic.twitter.com/P4ZecPIbt9
Arsenal starting lineup
Raya - White, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly - Norgaard, Merino, Nwaneri - Saka, Martinelli, Gyokeres
Villarreal starting lineup
Junior - Foyth, Marin, Mourino, Cardona - Gueye, Pepe, Parejo, Moleiro - Moreno, Eyong
Arsenal’s opening game of the 2025 Emirates Cup will be intriguing viewing as new signings Viktor Gyokeres, Christian Norgaard and Martin Zubimendi are all set to make their home debuts, while fellow new boys Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera are getting up to speed and could feature. This season feels like the big one for Arteta’s project at Arsenal as it simply has to yield a trophy. They’ve strengthened the squad considerably and Gyokeres’ arrival has excitement levels high among the Arsenal faithful.
Villarreal are extremely excited to be back in the Champions League for the first time since 2022, with the Spanish minnows once again punching well above their weight as they finished fifth in La Liga last season to secure a return to Europe’s elite club competition. Marcelino has created a balanced team as plenty of youngsters are mixed in with veterans such as Ayoze Perez (their top goalscorer last season with 19 goals), Gerard Moreno and former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe.
Arsenal team news, focus
Fans of Arsenal will be salivating at the thought of seeing Gyokeres hoovering up the many chances they seem to squander each game over the last few years. The Swedish striker has a lot of pressure on him to deliver goals right away but he seems up to the challenge and is extremely confident. Fellow new signing Madueke has only just returned to training but could feature, while Arteta will want to see a step up in intensity after beating AC Milan and Newcastle and losing to Spurs in friendlies in Asia over the last 10 days. Gabriel, Riccardo Calafoiri and Jurrien Timber didn’t feature against Spurs last time out, while Leandro Trossard tweaked a muscle and back-up goalkeeper Kepa wasn’t risked as a precaution.
Villarreal team news, focus
Let’s not forget, Villarreal lost to Liverpool in the semifinals of the Champions League in 2022 and won the Europa League on 2021. They then lost manager Unai Emery but Marcelino has done a superb job to get the Yellow Submarine back on track. The likes of Yeremy Pino, Ilias Akhomach and Alberto Moleiro are all extremely talented youngsters, while Daniel Parejo, Juan Foyth, Pepe, Perez, Moreno and Denis Suarez all provide considerable experience. Villarreal’s aim for this season will be to finish in the top six of La Liga once again and make a deep run in the Champions League as the underdogs.
Arsenal vs Villarreal prediction
This feels like we will see Arsenal make a statement and the likes of Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz have looked really sharp so far in preseason. Arsenal 4-2 Villarreal.
