Arsenal Under-21’s endured a difficult night on Tuesday as they were beaten 3-0 by AFC Wimbledon in the Papa John’s Trophy.
The Gunners were looking for a win at Plough Lane, but it turned out to be something of a dismal night.
Youngsters like Miguel Azeez and summer signing Tim Akinola featured last night, as did exiled veteran Sokratis Papastathopoulos, but Wimbledon ran out 3-0 winners.
Ryan Longman, Paul Osew and Joe Pigott scored for Wimbledon, with Akinola and William Saliba both sent off for Arsenal.
The defeat knocked Arsenal out of the competition, so it was a night with very few positives to take – but there was one major boost.
Attacker Gabriel Martinelli started the game and played 45 minutes, as he looks to ramp up his return from a major injury.
Martinelli has been out since June, but made his return earlier than planned as he got some minutes in the tank last night.
The youngster took to Twitter last night to post an emotional message to Arsenal fans for their ‘amazing support’ throughout his recovery, adding that it was a great feeling to finally play again.
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