Arsenal vs. Lyon result: Gunners show their class in mid-season friendly as Nketiah nets

Arsenal's preparations for the return of English and European football began in the best possible way, as the Premier League leaders swept Ligue 1 club Lyon aside with a first-half demolition job, before edging them in a post-game penalty shoot out to secure an extra point in the Dubai Super Cup friendly tournament.

The Gunners were on the front foot from the first minute, and despite fielding a side far from first-choice when compared with Lyon, Mikel Arteta's men made the 'men against boys' trope look all too literal as they went 3-0 up within 39 first-half minutes. Gabriel Magalhaes went close with an early header, but made his second effort count as he towered above the defence to put Arsenal ahead with a bullet header.

This only gave the Gunners more confidence, and they soon doubled their lead through Eddie Nketiah. A rare Lyon attack was easily cut out, and Arsenal flooded forward on the counter, with Fabio Vieira racing into open space before setting up Nketiah to slot the ball home. Vieira was involved again six minutes later, as the Gunners played some beautiful football to move the ball into the box. With options closed off the Portuguese did the rest, smashing a peach of a shot into the top corner and giving Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes absolutely no chance.

The second period began in a similar fashion, albeit with Arsenal not being quite as clinical, but as the half progressed both sides emptied their benches, with Arsenal in particular fielding a side unrecognisable to most who don't follow the club's youth team. The chances began to flow at both ends as Lyon looked for a consolation, but they were unable to find one and Arsenal closed out a routine win which had long since been sealed.

We weren't quite done though, as in this mid-season friendly tournament, the Dubai Super Cup, teams play out a post-match penalty shoot-out regardless of the result over 90 minutes, with the winners gaining an extra point in the four-team table. The shoot-out resembled the latter stages of the game though, and although Arsenal scored their first two spot-kicks, some woeful misses and easy saves saw only three scored in total.

Thiago Mendes was the sole Lyon scorer from 12 yards, while Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein made two terrific saves. It was the most he'd had to do all game in truth, and the penalties summed up the lackadaisical efforts of Lyon for much of the game. They may have been poor, but Arsenal were superb at times, particularly in the first half, and it's a performance Mikel Arteta will certainly be happy with as the regular season nears a return.

Arsenal vs. Lyon updates, highlights and penalty shoot-out result from mid-season Dubai friendly

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FT: Well, with that low-quality penalty shoot-out finishing 2-1 in Arsenal's favour, the Gunners not only secure three points for their 3-0 victory, they also get an extra bonus point to put the icing on the cake!

The second half saw a big step-down in quality as Lyon fought to get back into the game, and while the French side did have some chances, Arsenal's at the other end were still far more dangerous.

Their youngsters performed admirably, and with a touch more experience, there's no doubt that Arsenal would have added to their lead, but regardless, it was a game in which Mikel Arteta's side were hardly forced out of second gear.
• Lyon penalty 5: SAVED!!!! And that's it!! Rayan Cherki steps up for Lyon with the shoot-out on the line, but can only send a meek chipped shot straight into the gloves of Karl Hein. The Arsenal goalkeeper makes his fourth save from five penalties, and thanks to him, Arsenal win it!!!
• Arsenal penalty 5: OVER!!!! What a miss!!! Reuell Walters is the Gunners' fifth taker, but despite a casual run-up, he skews his shot well wide of the goal!!!
• Lyon penalty 4: SAVED AGAIN!! Karl Hein's having one hell of a shootout, as the Arsenal goalkeeper guesses right once again to keep Bradley Barclay's effort out!!
• Arsenal penalty 4: SAVED!!!! Amario Cozier-Duberry is next up for Arsenal, but his penalty is too close to the goalkeeper and Kayne Bonnevie saves it!!!
• Lyon penalty 3: SAVED!!! Tete's penalty is next for Lyon, but his low effort into the right-hand corner is kept out once again by Karl Hein!
• Arsenal penalty 3: SAVED!!! Oh no!!! Catalin Cirjan steps up for Arsenal, but attempts an audacious panenka penalty which Kayne Bonnevie easily holds!
• Lyon penalty 2: SCORED!!!! Thiago Mendes is Lyon's next taker, and coolly dispatches his penalty into the centre of the goal to make it 2-1!!!
• Arsenal penalty 2: SCORED!!! Matt Smith is next for Arsenal, and he drills a low penalty into the bottom corner to give Kayne Bonnevie no chance!!! 2-0!!!
• Lyon penalty 1: SAVED!!!!! Jeff Reine-Adelaide takes Lyon's first spot-kick, but Karl Hein is equal to it and gets down superbly to tip it away!!!
• Arsenal penalty 1: SCORED!!! Marquinhos steps up first for Arsenal, and sends the goalkeeper the wrong way to slot them 1-0 up with the first penalty!

91 mins: FULL-TIME: Arsenal 3-0 Lyon! A goalless second-half comes to an end as Lyon retain parity, but we're likely to see the net bulge several times now as the two sides play out a post-match penalty shoot-out!

90 mins: We'll play a minute of additional time in the second half, before full-time is blown and the penalty shoot-out commences!

89 mins: OVER!!! A good ball into the middle is picked up by Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, who lashes a decent effort towards goal and over the bar!

87 mins: The Lyon substitute Bradley Barcola rises highest at the corner, sending a free-header towards goal, but straight into the gloves of Karl Hein!

86 mins: Bradley Barcola darts into the area and tries to engineer shooting space for himself, but Arsenal youngster Lino Sousa gets back to take the ball away from him and concede a corner!

85 mins: Rayan Cherki finds space down the left again and drills the ball across the face of goal. There's no-one in a white shirt there to meet it though, and Arsenal clear their lines.

82 mins:​​​​​​​ Thiago Mendes comes forward for Lyon and finds Rayan Cherki in the box. He looks to shoot from a tight angle, but the effort is easily stopped and held by Karl Hein in the Gunners' goal.

80 mins: OFF THE POST!!! Lyon are caught out at the back yet again and Amario Cozier-Duberry tries his luck. Having dragged a shot wide of the near post moments ago, he aims for the far corner, but blasts his effort off the upright and back out again!

77 mins: Lyon make further changes, and have now used all of their squad, including replacement goalkeeper Kayne Bonnevie, who replaces Anthony Lopes between the sticks!

74 mins: SAVED!!! Lyon break at speed and Thiago Mendes finds Rayan Cherki down the left-hand side. The youngster cuts inside before shooting, looking to pick out the bottom corner, but Karl Hein gets a crucial touch to tip the ball around the far post!

72 mins: Moussa Dembele beats two before threading a pass into the box, and although Arsenal cut it out, they're unable to clear and concede the corner!

69 mins: Lyon substitute Sale Kumbedi floats a cross into the area, and Moussa Dembele meets the ball with a lovely cushioned header back across goal, which beats Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein before flying wide of the far post!

68 mins: Arsenal make a large raft of substitutions, bringing on a whole host of young players with the game all-but won!

67 mins: A headed ball clear falls to Rayan Cherki, who looks to catch Karl Hein off guard in the Arsenal goal with a volley, but he woefully miscues his shot and sprays it nearer to the corner flag than the goal!

64 mins: WIDE!!! Tierney clips a clever pass into the centre of the box, which sees Anthony Lopes and Eddie Nketiah collide as the pair chase it! The loose ball falls to Marquinhos, who has an open net to aim at, but he snatches at his shot and it flashes into the side netting!

62 mins: Several substitutes enter the fray for Lyon, including Thiago Mendes and Rayan Cherki, with coach Laurent Blanc hoping an influx of fresh legs can spark something resembling a comeback by his side.

59 mins: Sambi Lokonga's through ball has Reiss Nelson searing after it, and he cuts it back to the centre, but a deflection takes the pace off the ball and Anthony Lopes dives on it before Eddie Nketiah can pounce!

57 mins: WIDE!!! A ball from the right is brought down by Reiss Nelson, who has far too much space in Lyon's box. He's eventually forced off the ball and Kieran Tierney finds Mohamed Elneny, whose effort from just inside the area flies wide of the target! That looked easier to score than miss!

55 mins: OFF THE BAR!!! Move good play from Arsenal sees Mohamed Elneny free up Marquinhos down the right. He cuts inside onto his left foot and fires thunderous strike towards goal, which is tipped onto the crossbar by Anthony Lopes at full stretch!

53 mins: Marquinhos, on for Fabio Vieira, dribbles down the right for the Gunners, but his cut-back for Martin Odegaard is intercepted and cleared.

51 mins: Eddie Nketiah races in behind the defence and is one-on-one with Anthony Lopes, but he's flagged for offside before he can attempt to beat the 'keeper.

50 mins: Eddie Nketiah looks to turn Castello Lekuba on halfway with space in behind, but he's taken to ground by the Lyon centre-back and wins the free-kick.

47 mins: Alexandre Lacazette picks up the ball in space and turns for goal, firing a dipping effort just over the crossbar from 25 yards!

46 mins: The teams have made their way back onto the pitch, and Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette will kick the second half off against his former club!

HT: That half may have been an absolute stroll for Arsenal, but we are likely to see several changes from both sides in the second half. Being a friendly, coaches Mikel Arteta and Laurent Blanc may well want to try out new combinations, as well as test their respective fringe players, and these changes could well disrupt Arsenal's flow, while likewise sparking Lyon into life.

HALF-TIME: Arsenal 3-0 Lyon. That's half-time, and it's been the plainest of sailing for Arsenal, who hold a commanding three-goal lead at the break. It's been so, so one-sided, with the Gunners having the freedom of the UAE to go about their business, and they've certainly done that so far.

Gabriel's early header was an absolute belter, and with Lyon seemingly on the ropes, Arsenal soon added two more in quick succession. Fabio Vieira played a massive part in both, teeing up Eddie Nketiah to slot home their second, before smashing a piledriver of a shot into the top corner to extend his side's advantage to three at the break.

45 mins: We'll play one additional minute to bring an end to this first half.

43 mins: A floated ball forward from Martin Odegaard looks for Eddie Nketiah running in behind, but Malo Gusto gets across well and shields the ball for Lyon.

41 mins: Arsenal win another corner and Cedric Soares whips the ball into the box. Gabriel meets it at the far post, looking for his second goal, but he glances his header to the wrong side of the post and it goes behind!

39 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Arsenal 3-0 Lyon! What a strike!!!! The Gunners move the ball with vigour down the right, playing tiki taka-like football as they pass it into the box. Reiss Nelson lays it off to Fabio Vieira on the edge, and he rifles an absolute screamer into the top corner to score Arsenal's third goal, and that's by far the pick of the bunch!

38 mins: Henrique crosses in from the left for Lyon, aiming for Alexandre Lacazette, but the former Arsenal striker can't direct his header on target and it skews wide.

35 mins: Lyon come forward through Moussa Dembele, who surges towards the box and tries his luck from 20 yards, sending a fizzing effort just over the top of the bar!

33 mins: GOOOOOAAALLL!!!!! Arsenal 2-0 Lyon! Arsenal double their advantage with some fluid counter-attacking football! Alexandre Lacazette can't find room for a shot and loses the ball, which is hit long by Sambi Lokonga. Fabio Vieira is in acres of space and runs onto it, before squaring to the unmarked Eddie Nketiah in the box, who rolls the ball into the far corner of the net!

32 mins: An Arsenal ball is floated over the top and Eddie Nketiah sprints after it. He looks to lift the ball over the onrushing Anthony Lopes, and does so, but it's cleared by Les Gones' defenders before Martin Odegaard can pounce.

30 mins: We've stopped for a quick water break given the hot, humid conditions in Dubai, and after a few minutes, the players return to resume proceedings!

27 mins: A pass across the edge of the box is dummied by Martin Odegaard and drops to Fabio Vieira. He looks to bend a shot into the far corner, but gets his strike woefully wrong and drags it wide of the near post!

24 mins: After Alexandre Lacazette can't create room to shoot in the Arsenal box, the Gunners counter at speed. Some quick-fire passing sees Kieran Tierney advance onto the ball in the box, and his shot from a tight angle is deflected behind for a corner!

21 mins: Sambi Lokonga slaloms through the Lyon midfield all too easily and feeds Eddie Nketiah in the box. He looks to find shooting space but is unable to do so, and has to pass back to Fabio Vieira before the Gunners lose the ball.

19 mins: GOOOOOAAALLL!!!! Arsenal 1-0 Lyon!!! What a thumping header that was!!! From the corner, Martin Odegaard's ball into the box is met by Gabriel, who gets his header right this time and powers it beyond everyone and into the back of the net!!! A superb leap and finish from the Brazilian, and Arsenal lead Lyon in Dubai!

17 mins: SAVED!!! Sambi Lokonga wins the ball in Lyon's half and feeds Martin Odegaard. He lays it off to Fabio Vieira in the box, whose close-range shot is well parried by Anthony Lopes!

15 mins: Fabio Vieira is found on the right flank by another beauty of a cross-field pass, and he tees Cedric Soares up to cross. The right-back does so, and the ball falls straight to Sambi Lokonga, but the midfielder mis-times his shot and skews it well away from the target!

13 mins: OVER!!! Reiss Nelson wins a free-kick, which Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard crosses into the box. Gabriel ghosts in behind the defence and has a free header, but can only send the ball over the crossbar from close range!

10 mins: Lyon make a break of their own as Faivre charges forward with the ball. His options are blocked off, so the midfielder tries his luck, and a wicked deflection takes the ball behind for a corner!

9 mins: A huge tackle in defence robs Lyon of the ball, and Arsenal surge forward on the counter. Reiss Nelson looks to find Sambi Lokonga bursting into the box, but a deflection takes the ball into the gloves of Anthony Lopes.

8 mins: Arsenal win the ball in the final third and it comes to Eddie Nketiah again, who is in space down the left. He looks to curl an effort inside the far post, but flashes the ball across the face of goal and wide!

7 mins: OFF THE POST!!! A ball in behind is raced onto by Nketiah, who glides into the box untouched before squaring to Reiss Nelson. He lashes a left-footed shot towards goal, but it rattles off the base of the post and goes behind!

5 mins: Mohamed Elneny floats a fantastic cross-field pass to the left wing, and Kieran Tierney rushes onto it. He looks to play in Eddie Nketiah, but Sinaly Diomande gets in the way to deny him for Lyon.

3 mins: Romain Faivre looks to turn and advance through midfield but is clipped by Mohamed Elneny, and the Egyptian is penalised for Arsenal.

Kick-Off: Arsenal kick us off, as Eddie Nketiah gets the game underway in Dubai!

5 mins from kickoff: The stadium is slowly filling up as we wait for the teams to enter, and the players leave the tunnel as we await the game getting underway!

10 mins from kickoff: This 'friendly' is part of the 'Dubai Super Cup' tournament, in which each side will play two games. The Gunners face Milan five days after this game, while Lyon will play Liverpool, and there'll also be a penalty shoot-out after every single match regardless of the result!

15 mins from kickoff: We're not far from Qatar, where there's no World Cup action happening today, but the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai is poised and ready to see these two sides head out onto the pitch!

30 mins from kickoff: Lyon are only missing two players in Qatar though, and as a result have a near full-strength squad available. World Cup winner Corentin Tolisso starts in midfield, and as expected, Les Gones are captained and spearheaded in attack by Alexandre Lacazette, who of course spent five seasons at the Emirates from 2017 to the summer of 2022.

45 mins from kickoff: The Gunners are missing 10 first-team players due to the World Cup, with five of these players having returned due to elimination or injury. Still, they're taken a strong squad with them to their mid-season camp in Dubai, led by enigmatic captain Martin Odegaard.

60 mins from kickoff: Lyon, however, haven't had the start they'd have wanted, and sit down in eighth in France's top-flight. They're a whopping 20 points behind leaders PSG already, and still another 10 from the Champions League places.

75 mins from kickoff: The Gunners have enjoyed a good start to the 2022-23 season, and lead the chasing pack in the Premier League by five points. They'll certainly want to hit the ground running once the season re-starts later this month, and will hope this friendly helps prepare them to do so.

90 mins from kickoff: Hello, and welcome to live coverage of this friendly match from the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai, UAE. Premier League leaders Arsenal face Ligue 1's Lyon, as both sides step up their preparations for the return of football after the World Cup.

Arsenal's preparations for the return of competitive club football will ramp up in the coming weeks, as the Gunners, along with several other European clubs, take part in friendly matches at the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai, UAE. They'll take on French side Lyon in the first of these games, before facing AC Milan five days later.

The Gunners are the team to beat in the Premier League so far, leading the way by five points over the World Cup break. Mikel Arteta's side's closest challengers are Manchester City after 14 games played, and this month-long mid-season break will hopefully give Arsenal the best possible preparation to successfully see out a title charge in the remaining 24.

Arsenal's first game back comes against West Ham on Boxing Day, where they'll look to add to their healthy lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners have topped the league at Christmas five times previous, failing to eventually win the title in all five of those. A good start to the resumption is exactly what Arteta and his side need in order to make it sixth time lucky, and these friendlies could end up playing a significant part in their preparation to do so.

Lyon will be no easy-beats though, with the French side no strangers to an upset, particularly over English sides. Whilst this is of course an uncompetitive match, Lyon famously dumped current Premier League champions Manchester City out of the Champions League two seasons ago, and have the bulk of their squad available for this game, with only Nicolas Tagliafico and Karl Toro Ekambi away on World Cup duty.

MORE: Arsenal's path through the Europa League knockouts revealed in last 16 draw.

Arsenal's squad saw 10 of its players leave to play in the Qatar World Cup, the fifth-most of any Premier League club, with half of the Gunners' contestants still in with a chance of playing at least once more for each of their respective countries. Ghana, USA, and Japan's eliminations mean Thomas Partey, Matt Turner and Takehiro Tomiyasu will all be returning to north London, while Ben White withdrew from the England squad for personal reasons, and is back in the capital already.

Gabriel Jesus, one of the Gunners' key men so far this season, unfortunately picked up an injury playing for Brazil, and has had to return home with an expected lay-off period of up to three months. This means that Arsenal may need to look for alternatives in the upcoming January transfer window, and this friendy sees attacking players such as Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson given a chance to step up in the Brazilian's absence.

Dubai Super Cup: Why will there be a penalty shoot-out in Arsenal vs. Lyon?

The set of friendlies these two sides are involved in is the 'Dubai Super Cup', and also features both Liverpool and AC Milan. They'll each play two games in a round-robin tournament, in which they'll get the customary three points for a win, and two, rather than one, for a draw.

However, penalty shoot-outs will take place after each of the four games, with the winners of the shoot-out gaining an extra 'bonus' point. This will help the sides to accumulate points, with the side who finish top of the four-team table crowned champions.

How to watch Arsenal vs. Lyon

This match is not being shown on any UK TV channels but is available to stream via Arsenal's club website, Arsenal.com. A live feed of the match can be purchased from this website, which is pay-per-view, and accessible on the Arsenal app or website.