'We didn't execute well enough' - Christian Norgaard reacts after scoring his first Arsenal goal but claims Gunners must improve after friendly defeat to Villarreal

The Emirates crowd was hoping for a positive performance from the Gunners, especially with the start of the 2025–26 campaign just around the corner. Instead, fans were met with a flat and disjointed outing as Villarreal exposed Arsenal’s defensive frailties and punished their lack of fluency going forward.

In an ironic twist, it was Nicolas Pepe, once Arsenal’s record signing, who returned to torment his old club. Now wearing Villarreal colours, the Ivorian winger opened the scoring. The Yellow Submarine soon doubled their lead through Karl Eyong before Danjuma struck the winner in the 68th minute. Although Martin Odegaard converted from the spot to reduce the deficit, another flat display from much-hyped frontman Viktor Gyokeres did not help the cause. 

After scoring his first at the Emirates, Norgaard said: "It was fantastic of course, walking onto the pitch, knowing you're an Arsenal player. I've tried a few times being in the opposing team and it's more fun to wear the Arsenal shirt! It was a big moment of course.

“It was a big moment as well (to score), but I couldn't really enjoy it as much as I would have because of the scoreline at the time. And also, not being able to win of course this game at home. But there's still some things we need to improve before the season starts.”

Norgaard pointed out that Villarreal were ruthlessly clinical, turning a handful of chances into goals. Meanwhile, Arsenal created several promising opportunities that fell apart at the final moment due to poor execution.

“It's just the final execution in both ends,” he added. “They had two or three chances, and they scored on all of them. And we had so many almost-chances like that where we just didn't execute well enough. So that's what we have to work on the last 10 or 11 days before the season starts. And if we get that right I'm sure we will be fine in the season.”

With the new season just 11 days away, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has one last chance to tighten up his squad before competitive action resumes when the Gunners host Athletic Club in their final pre-season outing this Saturday. The clock is ticking for Arteta to correct the lapses that have plagued Arsenal against Tottenham and Villarreal in pre-season.