Christos Tzolis was the sharpest player on the pitch as Borussia Dortmund beat Arsenal 3-2 in north London to lift the Emirates Cup. Arsenal were 2-0 down at half-time after goals from Samuele Inacio and Konstantinos Karetsas, and that left Mikel Arteta with another clear defensive problem to address before the new season starts.

Tzolis drove Dortmund's edge

Tzolis, who was rated 8/10, kept finding the spaces Arsenal struggled to close. The Evening Standard's verdict was blunt enough, saying he "Looks a superb signing already." That fits the match itself. Dortmund were more decisive in the final third, and Arsenal were punished for giving their visitors too much room too often.

Arteta did not dress it up either, saying the defending was "below the standard". He was right. This was not just about one bad moment or one loose passage, because Arsenal were already chasing the game by the interval. Arsenal have won 5 of their last 5 listed matches, so one pre-season loss does not rewrite the bigger picture, but it does keep the focus on how vulnerable they can look when the defensive line is stretched.

Nwaneri gave Arsenal a clear positive

The other notable performance belonged to Ethan Nwaneri, who pulled Arsenal back into the game after half-time and then converted his penalty in the shootout. He was also rated 8/10, which tells you he did more than just provide a late spark. He handled the moment well and looked like a player who has earned more minutes in the weeks ahead.

That view gets stronger when you compare him with the rest of Arsenal's attacking play. Nwaneri looked the most dangerous young option on the night, and he was one of the few Arsenal players who consistently turned possession into something sharper. Viktor Gyökeres was not the story here, and that is fair enough, because the main takeaway was the balance between Tzolis' control and Nwaneri's response.

Arsenal now have seven days before they face Manchester City in the Community Shield in Cardiff on August 16. That is the next real marker, and it gives Arteta a short window to tighten the details that were exposed in this one. The attacking flashes were there, but the back line looked too easy to unsettle against Dortmund.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →