Arsenal fans notice the same as Alexandre Lacazette offers Gunners goal against Lyon

Arsenal fans noticed the same thing after Alexandre Lacazette's mistake led to the Gunners' second goal against Lyon tonight, but that's not what you'd expect reading this description. Albert Sambi Lokonga received massive acclaim for his role in the move, which Eddie Nketiah completed to double the lead in Dubai.

Mikel Arteta named a strong squad as Arsenal looked to shake off the rust in their first friendly since the start of the World Cup break last month. The Spaniard's side wasted no time in finding their rhythm, with Gabriel Magalhaes heading into Martin Odegaard's corner for a 19th-minute lead.

Nketiah struck after the half-hour mark to make it 2-0, thanks to former Arsenal striker Lacazette recklessly passing the ball and losing possession just outside the box. Gunners repair. From his mistake, Lokonga delivered an accurate long-range pass to Fabio Viera, who carried the ball towards Lyon's box before squareing it for Nketiah to head home from 12 yards.

Viera added his own just six minutes later, netting a magnificent effort into the top corner from outside the box after a neat one-touch passing streak in the final third. But Lokonga won most of the applause in the first half, making viewers salivate as he showcased his passing ability.

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@flosenhausen wrote: "This part of Sambi [3x fire emoticons]." @trisfamkris added, "Oh my god. What a great pass for Fabio Viera." Meanwhile, @_IKENNA_ reacted with a request for his Arsenal brothers: "Lokonga's great vision and ball. Let's give him some love."

@OlisaOsega praised Lokonga's overall performance: "Sambi Lokonga has a fabulous game in this LCM role. I'll never give up on him. There's definitely talent in there." @adroitcode said, "Lokonga... Whatever Arteta and his coaching staff had to do to this guy on the short break, I love it!"

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Lokonga has struggled to set the world on fire since joining Arsenal from Anderlecht in an £18m deal in July 2021. He has made just 14 Premier League starts since joining Emirates Stadium, but has been regularly called up to the Europa League and other cups. competitions, starting all six outings in Europe this season.

With Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard top of the midfield pecking order, minutes are likely to remain hard to come by in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign. But the 23-year-old showed some real quality glimpses against Lyon, reminding supporters of his potential.

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