Arsenal player ratings vs Newcastle: Mikel Merino shines as Max Dowman impresses again | OneFootball

15 year old starlet produces another scintillating showing

Your matchday briefing on Arsenal, featuring team news and expert analysis from Simon Collings

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Arsenal secured their second win of pre-season with a 3-2 victory over Newcastle in Singapore.

Anthony Elanga opened the scoring with a mishit effort, which bobbled off the post and past David Raya.

Arsenal then turned the game on its head, with two goals in as many minutes from Mikel Merino and an Alex Murphy own goal.

Despite Arsenal's dominance, Newcastle found a route back into the game when Jacob Murphy picked out the bottom corner from range.

Arsenal finally found the winning goal their performance deserved when Martin Odegaard scored from the penalty spot after the electric 15-year-old Max Dowman was taken out by Joelinton.

Sam Tabuteau was on hand to rate the Arsenal players...

David Raya 5

Not even Elanga knew where his shot was headed, so not much Raya could do about Newcastle's first goal. He struggled with his distribution as Newcastle's press caused Arsenal problems during the build-up. Got a hand to Jacob Murphy's equaliser and will feel he could have done better.

Ben White 6

It's been a good start to pre-season for White, who has capitalised on Jurrien Timber's absence with a couple of strong performances. Slowly building his confidence.

William Saliba 6

Recovered well after a shaky start to help Arsenal establish dominance in possession.

Riccardo Calafiori 6

Another injury for the Italian defender, who was replaced early in the second-half. Staying fit will be half the challenge for Calafiori this season.

Myles Lewis-Skelly 5

Not his best performance. Gave away a number of passes, and his crossing continued to let him down in some promising positions.

Martin Zubimendi 7

Always in space and always an option. He was sharp to the loose ball, winning fouls and recycling possession to get Arsenal moving forward.

Mikel Merino 8

Got Arsenal back in the game with a cool finish from the edge of the area. His aggression to win back possession was key to Arsenal's equaliser, and he worked well in tandem with Zubimendi.

Ethan Nwaneri 5

Didn't offer enough in his favoured central role and was replaced at half-time.

Bukayo Saka 6

The Arsenal captain in the absence of Odegaard, this wasn't one of Saka's standout games. Moments before Newcastle's equaliser, he nearly scored with an audacious overhead kick.

Leandro Trossard 6

Tried to make things happen, but not a lot came off for him.

Kai Havertz 7

He made a nuisance of himself without finding the back of the net and was involved in both Arsenal goals in the first-half. Viktor Gyokeres, who was in attendance at the National Stadium, won't be too worried, though.

Jakub Kiwior 6

Came on in place of Calafiori and was tasked with keeping the ball moving as Arsenal tried to build attacks.

Martin Odegaard 7

Scored from the penalty spot to restore Arsenal's lead. He'll be relishing the opportunity to play alongside Gyokeres next season.

Kepa Arrizabalaga 6

Didn't have much to do as Arsenal dominated the ball, but saved well late on from Harrison Ashby.

Gabriel Martinelli 5

A big season ahead for the Brazilian winger, who now has competition for his position.

Max Dowman 8

The 15-year-old isn't fazed in the slightest. He was straight onto the pitch and into the action as he tried to skip past Joelinton. There were Cruyff turns, mazy runs and an air of complete self-assuredness from the youngster. He had Joelinton's number from the moment he came on, and drew a foul from the Brazilian to earn Arsenal a late penalty.

Star of the show: Max Dowman

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Andre Harriman-Annous 6

The 17-year-old striker has had an excellent first year at Arsenal, with his involvement in the first team's pre-season tour reward for his development.

Declan Rice 6

Helped keep Arsenal on top as they searched for the winning goal their performance deserved.

Christian Norgaard 6

Norgaard will have to get used to this role a lot next season. Coming on and shoring up games late on.

Oleksandr Zinchenko 6

Zinchenko looks set to see out his Arsenal contract, which expires next summer, after talks with Arteta. The Ukrainian's versatility and experience make him a useful player to have around.

Marli Salmon 6

The other 15-year-old included in Arsenal's pre-season camp. Salmon, much like Dowman, is very highly thought of by Arteta.

Josh Nichols 6

Arteta has shown a lot of faith in youth this summer, with right-back Nichols one of eight academy players who've travelled with the first team to Asia.