Arsenal U18s fall short in 10-goal thriller against Tottenham | OneFootball

Arsenal’s U18s fell to a 6-4 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in a chaotic encounter at Spurs Lodge, where defensive frailties undermined an otherwise promising attacking display.

The game opened at a blistering pace, with Andre Harriman-Annous firing Arsenal ahead inside three minutes.

Spurs responded quickly through Ellis Lehane, before Luca Williams-Barnett put the hosts in front with a stunning long-range strike.

Dan Casey then dragged Arsenal back into contention, scoring twice in quick succession to restore their lead before the break, only for Jun’ai Byfield to equalise in stoppage time, sending the teams into halftime level at 3-3.

The second half saw Tynan Thompson and Malachi Hardy put Tottenham in control, capitalising on lapses in Arsenal’s backline.

Casey completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot with nine minutes to play, offering Arsenal a late lifeline, but Samuel Onyekachukwu’s red card for bringing down Reiss Elliott-Parris in stoppage time ended any hopes of a comeback.

Williams-Barnett then compounded Arsenal’s misery, sealing the win for Spurs with a superb free-kick in the 94th minute.

Reflecting on the performance, Arsenal U18s coach Adam Birchall was blunt in his assessment: “We’re not happy to lose the game.

“We started really well on the front foot and just lacked consistency in our defending actions. Collectively, we need to show a much better mentality towards our defending.

“At times it was like basketball. We need to manage moments where there’s a bit of chaos, manage to regain.

“We conceded two set-pieces so for me that’s a mentality thing, against your man attacking a ball, so there’s lots to digest from this. Scoring goals means nothing if you concede more at the other end.”

Arsenal remain ninth in the U18 Premier League South, with 19 points from 14 matches.

They travel to Chelsea on Tuesday as they look to tighten up their defensive structure and bounce back from a frustrating derby defeat.

“It starts with the mentality,” Birchall said. “I’ve been really clear over the last few months with the mentality of the players developing. Today was a step backwards from that.

“I don’t think it was all the players, but some need to show more hunger and fight, so I hope that’s what we see in the game against Chelsea.”