Arsenal 3 Lyon 0 : Arteta gives game time to Nwaneri and Butler-Oyedeji in friendly 

Arsenal stepped up their preparations for the Premier League restart with a 3-0 win over French club Lyon in the Dubai Super Cup on Thursday.

Spanish football tactician Mikel Arteta named a strong starting lineup, a decision that saw Anglo-Nigerian attack-minded youngsters Ethan Nwaneri and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji start on the bench. 

 Brazilian defender Gabriel gave Arsenal the lead with a towering header in the 19th minute and Eddie Nketiah slotted home a cross from Fabio Vieira to double the advantage in the 33rd minute.

Vieira turned from provider to scorer in the 39th minute with a terrific strike from outside the box to round off the win. 

With the game safe, Arteta gave game time to Nwaneri, Butler-Oyedeji and several U21 players, bringing them on midway through the second half. 

Nwaneri and Butler-Oyedeji had sniffs at goal but their efforts did not end up in the back of the net. 

Arsenal were awarded an extra point for winning the shootout at the end of the game, but the two players of Nigerian descent were not on penalty duties. 

AC Milan is the next test for the Gunners on Tuesday, December 13 and the final mid-season friendly is against Juventus at the Emirates Stadium four days later. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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