In the Emirates Cup, Arsenal easily defeated Bundesliga Invincibles Bayer Leverkusen thanks to their outstanding first half performance.

Oleksandr Zinchenko and Leandro Trossard gave the Gunners two goals in a span of 120 seconds after they fielded a formidable starting lineup in the first ten minutes of play.

Gabriel Jesus made it three before half-time

In the 38th minute, Gabriel Jesus scored a fantastic solo goal to tie the score, then Kai Havertz added another goal to wrap up the match.

Adam Hlozek gave Leverkusen a consoling steаl on the break in the 76th minute.

Arsenal easily defeated North London because to four halftime replacements from manager Mikel Arteta, which included three Lions stars Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.

After needing medical attention, skipper Martin Odegaard came off soon after the hour mark, but he did not appear to be seriously hurt.

Prior to kickoff, the absence of Dutch left back Jurrien Timber and new £42 million acquisition Riccardo Calafiori raised questions about the team’s health.

SunSport has learnt, nevertheless, that Italian defender Calafiori, who joined the team on July 29, is still being gradually introduced to game action.

As a precaution, Timber was also excluded because of a minor foot condition, but this was not anticipated to be a problem.

Prior to their Premier League debut on August 17 against Wolves, both might play against Lyon on Sunday.

The returning Granit Xhaka was given a standing ovation by the fans upon his return for the first time since leaving the club last summer.

But Xhaka and Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen looked well behind their opponents in their pre-season fitness levels and preparation as Arsenal ran riоt – starting in the eighth minute.

Havertz was spotted by Zinchenko wandering down the left with a chipped ball, and Trossard dummied the German’s cut-back, allowing the Ukrainian full-back to drive low into the corner.

After less than a minute, Havertz and Jesus swapped passes inside the box, and Odegaard intercepted a shoddy ball from Leverkusen keeper Matej Kovar. Then, Trossard scored with a brilliantly-devised curling attempt from close range.

Jesus, who appears to have fully recovered from the knee and hamstring problems that dogged him last season, grabbed onto a sloppy throw-in and raced from his own half to then cut in and finish beyond Kovar as a dominant Arsenal continued to push.

Alongside Rice and Saka, Jakub Kiwior and academy lad Myles Lewis-Skelly came on at the break for Jesus, Zinchenko, William Saliba and Fabio Vieira.

It did not take long for Saka to get his eye in down the right, skinning Arthur and seeing his low delivery intercepted by Xhaka into the path of an awaiting Havertz in the 65th minute.

Further changes to the line-up saw the game ease out, but Arsenal did end the match with three of their back four coming from the academy – Myles-Skelly, Ayden Heaven and Josh Nichols.

Leverkusen left their mark with Hlozek breаking through the middle before dinking over Raya, but that will hardly worry Arteta.

Arsenal look fit, sharp and hungry. The new season cannot come soon enough.