Nicolas Pépé who gave the Spanish side the lead in the 16th minute — though he respectfully chose not to celebrate against his old club. Things got worse for Arsenal when young talent Etta Eyong doubled Villarreal’s advantage in the 33rd minute.
Arsenal’s summer signing Christian Nørgaard gave fans a bit of hope just three minutes later, pulling one back in the 36th minute. But Villarreal weren’t done yet — Arnaut Danjuma restored their two-goal lead midway through the second half with a composed finish in the 68th minute.
Captain Martin Ødegaard managed to reduce the gap once again with a penalty, but it wasn’t enough. Arsenal couldn’t complete the comeback and have now suffered back-to-back defeats in their pre-season run, following a 0-1 loss to Tottenham earlier in the week.
With the Premier League season approaching fast, Mikel Arteta’s men will be hoping to find form — and fast.