{"id":2431,"date":"2026-08-13T13:18:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T05:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/?p=2431"},"modified":"2026-08-13T13:18:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T05:18:19","slug":"fabregas-pushes-arteta-to-the-limit-as-arsenal-edge-como-on-penalties-in-emirates-reunion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/13\/fabregas-pushes-arteta-to-the-limit-as-arsenal-edge-como-on-penalties-in-emirates-reunion\/","title":{"rendered":"Fabregas pushes Arteta to the limit as Arsenal edge Como on penalties in Emirates reunion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"562\" src=\"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-18.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-18.png 1000w, https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-18-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-18-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gunners overcome resilient Como in shootout after Baturina cancels out Lewis-Skelly opener on Fabregas&#8217;s emotional return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mikel Arteta\u2019s Arsenal eventually overcame Cesc Fabregas\u2019s spirited Como in a tense penalty shootout on Wednesday. Following a 1-1 draw in the Gunners&#8217; penultimate pre-season outing, David Raya emerged as the hero, saving spot-kicks from Ivan Smol\u010di\u0107 and Alvaro Morata to secure a 4-3 victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The deadlock was broken in the 34th minute after Como goalkeeper Jean Butez was punished for a lapse while playing out from the back. Youngster Lewis-Skelly pounced, intercepting with a header before finding Gabriel Martinelli; the Brazilian star then unselfishly teed up the English full-back to slot home and put Arsenal ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Buoyed by the opener, the Londoners maintained a high press in search of a second, with Fabregas\u2019s side struggling to test the opposition goal as the interval approached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the visitors&#8217; persistence was rewarded in the 43rd minute. Croatian playmaker Martin Baturina restored parity with a superb solo effort, dancing past two defenders before unleashing a strike that took a wicked deflection to leave goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga stranded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A raft of substitutions followed the break, as both Fabregas and Arteta looked to fine-tune their tactical setups and assess their squad depth ahead of the new campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Gunners nearly regained the lead in the 53rd minute, but Butez made amends for his earlier error by tipping a goalbound Fabio Vieira effort over the bar with a crucial intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following a 77th-minute hydration break, Cesc Fabregas introduced Luis Milla. The Spanish midfielder joined Como this summer after a productive four-year spell at Getafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deep into stoppage time, Kai Havertz thought he had snatched a late winner, only for the German\u2019s effort to be chalked off for offside, forcing the contest into a shootout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With nothing to separate the sides, David Raya took centre stage, denying both Ivan Smol\u010di\u0107 and Alvaro Morata from 12 yards. Despite Noni Madueke striking the woodwork for the hosts, Arsenal held their nerve to clinch a 4-3 win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arsenal now turn their attention to a high-profile clash with Manchester City this Sunday, while Como prepare to face Liverpool on the same day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gunners overcome resilient Como in shootout after Batur [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2431"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2433,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431\/revisions\/2433"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dxtynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}