Arsenal lifted the Emirates Cup for the fourth time this afternoon thanks to their 1-0 win over Wolfsburg.
It is the first time since 2010 that the Gunners have won their home tournament, and their second piece of pre-season silverware after their triumph in the Barclays Premier League Asia Trophy.
Playing in a central striker role, Theo Walcott scored the only goal of the game on 50 minutes to stake his claim for an opportunity through the middle when the real thing comes around in a fortnight’s time.
The hosts thrashed Lyon 6-0 yesterday to take a big cushion at the top of the table, and Villarreal’s 2-0 victory over the French side earlier today left them needing just a score draw to clinch the trophy.
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There was little sign of the goal glut of 24 hours earlier during an uneventful first period in which the pace and directness of Walcott provided the only reprieve from two flat performances.
The England international forced Diego Benaglio into a strong save midway through the half, and then had the ball in the net on 33 minutes only to be denied by the assistant referee’s flag.
Walcott got on the scoresheet five minutes after the break as he raced onto a through pass from 17-year-old midfielder Jeff Rene-Adelaide, who was making his full debut for Arsenal’s senior side, and poking the ball through Benaglio to open the scoring with his sixth goal in five games.
Wolfsburg, runners-up to Bayern Munich in last year’s Bundesliga, had former Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner, Andre Schurrle and Kevin de Bruyne in attack and eventually began to provide a threat.
But Petr Cech showed the home crowd, watching him as an Arsenal player for the first time, what a fine goalkeeper he still is with impressive saves from Josuha Guilavogui, Ricardo Rodriguez and Bendtner.
Arsenal begin their Premier League campaign against West Ham United on August 9th, looking to win their first title in 12 years after finishing 12 points behind Chelsea in third last term.
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