Arsenal 1-3 Real Betis: Player ratings as sloppy Gunners fall in Dublin friendly

Arsenal's winning start to pre-season was brought to a swift end as they fell to a 3-1 defeat to Real Betis in the second game of their campaign preparations.

Mikel Arteta opted to stick with the same lineup that defeated Girona 4-1 on Saturday, allowing Christos Tzolis another opportunity to impress on the left wing while Viktor Gyökeres led the line once again.

The Gunners almost made the perfect start when a quick move saw Kai Havertz sqaure for Gyökeres, who looked destined to score from close range, but he was denied by a good save before the ricochet was cleared off the line.

It was Betis who found the back of the net first though and it came in disastrous circumstances for Arsenal as Kepa completely missed Pablo Fornals' corner delivery to allow Rodrigo Riquelme to fire his side in front.

The Premier League champions dominated possession after going behind, but couldn't carve out a chance for a leveller, which proved costly when Betis doubled their lead. Some poor defending allowed Nelson Deossa to pick the ball up 30 yards out and fire a thunderous strike past Kepa.

Piero Hincapié pulled one back for the Gunners when he met Christos Tzolis' inswinging delivery from a corner to head into an empty net from yards out after Álvaro Vallés missed the ball.

The Ecuador international's goal didn't mean much however as Betis restored their two-goal advantage shortly before half-time. Havertz gave the ball away in sloppy fashion, leading to Fornals beating Kepa with a neat strike from the edge of the box.

Arteta had clearly seen enough of his team's poor performance and decided to make seven changes at the break, introducing the likes of Fabio Vieira and Marli Salmon, as well as Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhães to make their return to action following the World Cup.

As was the case in the first-half, Arsenal dominated the play, but they couldn't break Betis down to find a way through on goal. Their first big chance after the break came with just over 20 minutes to play when Gabriel Jesus struck from the edge, only to see his effort go wide of the post.

Despite his side remaining two goals behind, Arteta made further substitutions to provide chances to academy stars such as Ife Ibrahim and Ceadach O'Neill.

The youngsters showed positive signs, but they couldn't help the Gunners find a way back into the game as the friendly clash in Dublin ended with a Betis win. Arteta will be slightly concerned about his side's sloppy errors, but will be aware that big names like Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are a visible miss and will now be looking toward the upcoming matches against Borussia Dortmund and Como at the Emirates Stadium.

Here are the Arsenal player ratings from their pre-season defeat to Real Betis.

Arsenal 1-3 Real Betis player ratings

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK) - 4/10 - Continued as the starting goalkeeper over Illan Meslier but made a costly error just minutes into the game as he missed a cross from a corner for Riquelme to fire in at the back post. Subbed after an hour.

Ben White (RB) - 6/10 - Attempted to play in a few crosses, but deliveries weren't spectacular. Guilty of backing off at times. Replaced at the break.

Cristhian Mosquera (CB) - 6/10 - Made some clearances and won aerial duels, but relatively poor like his defensive teammates. Withdrawn at the halfway point.

Piero Hincapié (CB) - 6.5/10 - Provided his side a route back into the game when he met Tzolis' corner to head in from close range. Taken off after 45 minutes.

Riccardo Calafiori (LB) - 6/10 - Found himself high up the pitch, almost in an attacking midfield position at times. Linked up with his teammates well at times to help with fluid play. A poor clearance allowed Betis a chance for a third, but he was bailed out. Substituted on the hour mark.

Midfielders

Ethan Nwaneri (CM) - 5.5/10 - Drifted out to the right flank on occasion, but failed to make a difference from either position. Stood over a few set pieces, but his deliveries were poor. Taken off in the closing stages.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (CM) - 6/10 - Played a few good passes in his usual inverted role, but like the rest of his side, his impact was fairly minimal. Subbed off after an hour.

Kai Havertz (CM) - 5/10 - Teed up Gyökeres early on, but his teammate couldn't capitalise and saw his low strike saved. Gave away possession for Fornals to add a third for Betis. Substituted at half-time.

Forwards

Max Dowman (RW) - 6/10 - Had a few bright moments on the ball, but couldn't make the most of his chances and failed to have the same impact as he did against Girona. Withdrawn at the break.

Viktor Gyökeres (ST) - 5/10 - Missed a great chance to put his side in front from close range inside the first minute. Only ever real involvement came when he had an effort blocked from distance. Replaced at the halfway point.

Christos Tzolis (LW) - 6.5/10 - Had a chance fall his way on the left side of the box, but his strike was blocked well. Assisted Hincapié from the resulting corner. Taken off following the first-half.

Substitutes

Gabriel Magalhães (on 46' for Hincapié, taken off 77') - 6/10
Gabriel Martinelli (on 46' for Tzolis, taken off 77') - 6/10
Fabio Vieira (on 46' for Havertz) - 6/10
Gabriel Jesus (on 46' for Gyökeres) - 6.5/10
Reiss Nelson (on 46' for Dowman) - 6.5/10
Marli Salmon (on 46' for Mosquera) - 6.5/10
Louie Copley (on 46' for White, taken off 56') - N/A
Theo Julienne (on 56' for Copley) - 6/10
Josh Ogunnaike (on 62' for Calafiori) - 6/10
Illan Meslier (on 62' for Kepa) - 6.5/10
Ife Ibrahim (on 62' for Lewis-Skelly) - 6/10
Brayden Clarke (on 77' for Gabriel) - 6/10
Ismael Kabia (on 77' for Nwaneri) - 6/10
Ceadach O'Neill (on 77' for Martinelli) - 6/10

Player of the match: Pablo Fornals

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