Match Reports

Emmerson brace sees off Gunners

Albion under-18s defeat Arsenal 3-2 in league action.

By Charlie Hanson • 22 February 2021

By Paul Hazlewood
Zak Emmerson's double helped Albion on their way to three points on Saturday.

Three points for Mark Beard's team moved them above visitors Arsenal on Saturday in the Premier League Under-18s South division.

Having defeated Southampton 7-1 on Tuesday, Albion continued in that vein, finding the back of the net after 19 minutes when Ed Turns headed home in emphatic fashion.

With half-time looming, Andy Moran pinched possession on the edge of the Albion final third and slipped a pass through for Emmerson who got away from his marker on halfway before calmly finding the bottom left corner.

By Paul Hazlewood
Andy Moran's strike put Albion in control just before the break.

Omari Hutchinson pulled a goal back against the run of play in the first minute of added time, but Albion restored their two-goal cushion just ten seconds after the restart.

Emmerson was the goalscorer again, getting on the end of a through ball and firing into the bottom left corner from just inside the box.

Arsenal reduced the deficit in the dying embers of the game from the penalty spot, but it wasn't enough to deny an impressive Albion the win that saw them leapfrog the Gunners into fifth.

Beard said: “We were excellent in the first half and we fully deserved our lead. We were a bit disappointed to concede just before half-time, but we quickly put that right in the second half.

“The scoreline doesn't do justice to how well we did on the day, especially defensively. We showed real quality throughout the game.”