Arsenal beats Everton, 2-0, in preseason friendly between Premier League clubs in Baltimore
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The ball had barely left Bukayo Saka’s foot and sailed past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford by the time the red smoke bomb set off among the Arsenal supporters sent a cloud wafting over the western stands at M&T Bank Stadium.
For the Arsenal supporters at the Charm City Match in Baltimore — and there were many of them, leaving the Ravens’ usually purple and black stands stained red — there was much to like from their club’s performance. The Everton supporters, however, were left bemoaning a display that included two Arsenal goals in a three-minute span of the first half.
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The first, a corner kick that ended right at striker Gabriel Jesus’ feet, displayed the same lackluster defending from Everton that left the team battling relegation last season. And the second, a breakaway that found its way to Saka, sealed Arsenal’s 2-0 victory in the preseason friendly before an announced 39,245.
It’s early in both teams’ preparation for the English Premier League season — one of the top soccer leagues in the world — which begins Aug. 5. After playing in Baltimore, Everton travels to face Minnesota United of MLS in Minneapolis. Arsenal heads for Florida, with matches scheduled against MLS’ Orlando City and fellow Premier League power Chelsea.
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That led to ample rotation of the squads at halftime, with Everton manager Frank Lampard rotating all 11 players out while Arsenal brought on six substitutes. But the changes didn’t lead to much of an improved showing for the Toffees; beyond an early corner in the second half and a few enticing runs from forward Anthony Gordon, there wasn’t much threat on goalkeeper Matt Turner.
Turner, who joined Arsenal this offseason from the New England Revolution, earned the start between the posts and played the entire 90 minutes, holding a clean sheet. The Park Ridge, New Jersey, native — the lone American on either squad — made a strong impression in his return stateside.
When he scooped up a through ball hit too far for forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 17th minute, chants of “USA” broke out among the crowd.
Those chants continued when Turner deflected a shot from defender Niels Nkounkou minutes later, his best stop of the evening barring a long-distance attempt from Salomon Rondon to begin the second half. Rondon attempted to catch Turner out of goal, and it sent the 28-year-old goalie scrambling back to deflect the prayer wide.
As tends to be the case in these preseason runouts, the intensity waned as the 90th minute approached. But for the fans in red, including those who stood the entire game in the southwest corner of the stadium, the energy didn’t dwindle. As forward Eddie Nketiah pressured goalkeeper Billy Crellin into a hurried clearance, the fans chanted his name. They did so again when Nketiah earned a free kick in Arsenal’s attacking third of the pitch.
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In an effort to attract a larger audience to the Camden Yards complex, the Maryland Stadium Authority has supported both the Ravens and Orioles in recent efforts to bring in non-pro baseball and football events. Paul McCartney played in front of a packed Oriole Park last month, and this fall, M&T Bank Stadium will host a Navy vs. Notre Dame college football game.
Having Arsenal and Everton meet in Baltimore’s first international soccer match since 2015 is an extension of that. And when the game was scheduled, Baltimore was still in contention to become a host for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Instead, the city missed out.
But there was still an energy around M&T Bank Stadium, particularly from the Arsenal fans who saw the Gunners cruise to victory behind goals from Jesus and Saka.
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This story will be updated.