Under-18s grab 94th-minute leveller at Arsenal

Kion Etete scored a 94th-minute equaliser as our Under-18s came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Arsenal on Saturday.

The Gunners had taken the lead in a first half of few chances when Nathan Butler curled home from outside the box and then doubled their tally mid-way through the second period via the same player after we switched off at a corner.

J’Neil Bennett fired us back into the contest three minutes later and after two important stops from goalkeeper Thimothee Lo-Tutala, we were rewarded for an industrious display right at the end of the game. Etete was the scorer, but the goal was all thanks to excellent work in the build-up from Chay Cooper, who was a real bundle of energy after coming on as a substitute.

Bennett, Lo-Tutala and midfielder Yago Santiago all came in for their first Under-18 Premier League starts of the season at London Colney – Bennett having missed much of the campaign through injury – but despite some tidy passages of play, we couldn’t threaten Hubert Graczyk in the Arsenal goal during the first 45 minutes. Lo-Tutala made a couple of routine stops from Ryan Alebiosu and Alfie Matthews but he could do nothing when Butler turned onto his right foot and bent a shot inside the far post three minutes before the break. It could have been worse for us going in at half-time but Bennett was on hand to clear Butler’s drive off the line.

Butler continued to threaten after the restart, curling a shot onto the top of the net, but when Miguel Azeez’s corner was allowed to drop in the box, the opening goalscorer guided the ball low into the far corner to extend the hosts’ lead on 68 minutes. Crucially, we responded inside three minutes as winger Bennett took the initiative and fired home from 20 yards.

Lo-Tutala denied Butler his hat-trick with a good stop before pushing Azeez’s free-kick away for a corner but Cooper’s excellent first touches and lively running were taking us forward and his efforts paid off in the fourth added minute as he laid the ball across after some dazzling play on the right for Etete to convert from inside the area.

Key moment

Bennett’s strike from distance was important. Arsenal had gone two goals ahead three minutes earlier but the winger’s effort quickly got us back into the game. The hosts had a couple of further chances but there was only a solitary goal separating the sides, meaning we were always in with a chance. Sure enough, the equaliser came in the fourth minute of added time.

Coach’s view

Under-18s Coach Matt Taylor said: “It was a passionate performance from us, which I haven’t seen enough of in terms of that grit and determination to get back into games. After going 2-0 down, I’m obviously pleased that we’ve managed to get ourselves a point. Technically it wasn’t the best game that we’ve been involved in this season but that often happens with derbies so overall, I’m happy that we’ve come away with a point.”