Arsenal’s opening preseason match of the summer ended in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Scottish side Hibernian at Easter Road.
Mikel Arteta had a relatively strong crop of players to choose from for the time of year, with captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading a side that included nine players who made first-team appearances last season, while the likes of Nicolas Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette and Hector Bellerin were among the substitutes.
Hibs took the lead on 21 minutes after Martin Boyle capitalised on an error from young goalkeeper Arthur Okonwo, who has recently been promoted to the first team.
Arteta rotated heavily as the game wore on but Daniel MacKay extended the home side’s advantage with a header before Pepe missed a penalty that he had won himself.
Substitute Emile Smith Rowe pulled one back nine minutes from time but the Gunners were unable to find an equaliser as their mini tour of Scotland got off to a losing start.
Ahead of the game, Hibs had shown their support for Bukayo Saka by producing a special shirt with his name and number on the back. The 19-year-old winger has been targeted by racial abuse after missing his penalty during England’s Euro 2020 final shootout defeat to Italy on Sunday.
