Steve Bould's side fought valiantly to secure a place in the Premier League International Cup semi-final with a 4-3 victory over Monaco at Meadow Park.
The Gunners went in 2-2 at the break with Zech Medley scoring twice. Both times Monaco responded well, however, and eventually took the lead in the second half.
Luckily for Arsenal Under-23s, Folarin Balogun was in similar form to that at Emirates Stadium last week. He brought them level with a well-taken penalty before chipping the Monaco keeper in added time to secure the dramatic victory.
football.london take a look at some of the talking points from win.
Sam Greenwood stepped up
Having started just seven games for the Under-23s this season, facing Monaco wasn't going to be easy for Sam Greenwood.
This was made evident almost instantly as when he received the ball to feet in the opening exchanges, he was virtually mowed down by Monaco defenders. On the night, the visitors were extremely physical and they wasted no time in displaying this.
As a result, the 18-year-old found it difficult to settle on the left wing where he was isolated. Instead, he would drift infield for more support. This started to work for him late in the first half, however, and seemed to lift him for the remainder of the match.
His watershed moment came when upon receiving the ball on the left while holding off two defenders when drifting inside, he flicked it out of the way of the pair of them and raced towards goal. He was brought down before getting into the box but this was the moment that really got him going.
In the second half, he moved out to the right wing and this is when he started getting more heavily involved, linking up with Ben Cottrell. From there, he would take the ball down the line and would often look for cutbacks rather than whipping crosses in.
As the game was nearing its close, Greenwood moved further infield. Playing a central striker next to Balogun, Monaco couldn't handle him. Always ready to run off the last man, his persistence paid off when one of his runs was found by Harry Clarke before he was brought down in the box for a penalty. A very mature performance.
Ben Cottrell's intelligent display
Monaco arrived at Meadow Park ready to stamp their authority on the game.
From the jump, they were flying into challenges, throwing their weight around and making things incredibly hard for Arsenal. As a result they struggled to really get much time on the ball to truly control proceedings.
Recognising this, Ben Cottrell adapted. Rather than continuing to come deep for the ball where he would be forced off it, he began running into the half-spaces between the full-back, centre-back and central midfielders. Getting into these spaces, he was able to draw fouls as Monaco were always reacting to what he was doing.
This led to the free kick which preceded Medley's first goal.
In the second half, as the game became more open, Cottrell was able to do more when he got into these spaces. As Monaco's players were still buzzing all over the pitch, it was a lot more but it was important.
Once in these positions, he would start moving the ball with his first touch into runners. Early after the break he was mostly finding Sam Greenwood as he was moving out to the right, but he soon started connecting with Balogun.
This then resulted in the Gunners' winner as with one touch, the 18-year-old flicked the ball into his striker's path and leave him with just the goalkeeper to beat.
It wasn't a domineering performance, but the subtle changes Cottrell made to his game were vital to Arsenal reaching the semi-final.
Folarin Balogun remains ice cool
Thats now five goals in three games for Balogun. Two against Monaco, two against Manchester City and one against Chelsea.
What has been most impressive about these goals - especially those against City and Monaco - has been the composure Balogun has shown in front of goal. For each one, he was in control of the situation.
From his left-footed rocket to his inch-perfect chip to send Arsenal through in the Premier League International Cup, he seemed to know what he was going to do before the ball reached him. At just 18-years-old, this is one of the main things that set him apart.
Alongside this, his play with his back to goal is also impressive. His close control makes it so hard for defenders to get clean challenges on him and his passing is very sound which was demonstrated again at Meadow Park.
What completes his game is his willingness to do the defensive side of the job. Although he may not always want to, he does the job. When Arsenal were under early pressure, he was coming back as deep as his own box to contribute.
Thankfully, he got the goals his hard work deserved in the second half.
