Arsenal defeated Lyon 2-0 to win the Emirates Cup as they concluded their preseason preparations for the upcoming campaign.

Mikel Arteta started with a robust team, and after nine minutes, William Saliba’s header gave them the lead.

Just before the half-hour mark, Gabriel, Saliba’s centre-back partner, rose high from another corner to give the Gunners a two-goal advantage.

Riccardo Calafiori, a £42 million summer acquisition, made his debut in the second half, replacing Oleksandr Zinchenko off the bench.

Here are the key lessons that Mail Sport’s Isaan Khan learnt while he was at the Emirates. Greetings to Calafiori  Two weeks ago, Riccardo Calafiori’s £42 million deal was finalised, and tonight was his first game wearing an Arsenal shirt.The Gunners welcomed their new man with great enthusiasm as he stood waiting on the touchline. The player is 22 years old.The fact that he is the sole summer signing the north London club has made so far added to the enthusiasm.Entering the game in the 64th minute, the Italian got off to a good start. With determination, he closed the distance on his opponent while frantically sprinting to regain defensive position.He was also impacted by the roar from the crowd during any of his throws and tackles.When Calafiori found himself free on the left flank, he gestured to his teammates, eager to get on the ball. With the help of David Raya’s save, there were several drives upfield and a powerful sprint back on the break that was sufficient to thwart a Lyon attacker.Even though it was only a 26-minute run, the indicators seemed encouraging.Saka and rice are prepared. Naturally, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were essential to Arsenal’s hopes of winning the championship the previous year. They made their first starts of the preseason, showcasing their more advanced gears.The two entered as substitutes in Wednesday’s 4-1 triumph over Bayer Leverkusen. Saka appeared more focused back then, but there were still stages left before the new season.It was demonstrated this afternoon. Saka gave left back Abner a lot of trouble right away by twirling him around and in while he dashed in the direction of the box.His ability to threаten the Lyon defence was evident, and it was this that initially encouraged Arsenal to breach the lines.Rice, who was last time out still adjusting to returning to full match preparation, demonstrated a true step forward and indications that he is ready.He made continual efforts to push the play, made some excellent tackles, and had precise passing.To cap it all, he scored goals with two accurate and skilfully executed corner kicks.Although predicted, the level increase was nonetheless appreciated.The Gunners took first place at one particular table. On set-pieces, not the league. In the 2023–24 season, the North London club scored 20 goals, more than any other Premier League squad.They had not scored any goals during their preseason tour in the United States, but today they defeated Lyon with two goals thanks to corner kicks from Declan Rice.William Saliba’s opening goal appeared to be straight out of set-piece coach Nicolas Jover’s playbook. With the exception of Saliba, who wandered to the centre of the goal, the majority of the Arsenal players in the vicinity started near the back post before moving towards the front post.The ball was headed into the net by the Frenchman with a powerful header. Gabriel scored his second goal by galloping in from the area’s edge and heading goalward with force.Set-piece goals have been crucial for Mikel Arteta and his club, and he wants to make sure that the same is true this time around.Will Mikel Arteta give youth players chances? After a US pre-season tour in which academy stars were given time on the pitch, Arsenal reverted back to type.Their most promising youngsters Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ayden Heaven and Josh Nichols made the bench. The former two got a run out on 78 minutes.Saka was substituted at that point. It felt wise to take him off him before the end, owing to the sheer amount of minutes he will play in the coming months.It was a promising sign to see Arteta give these academy players a chance to come on at the Emirates. It wasn’t quite the same as starting them or substituting one or two on at half-time, though nevertheless a slight change in tune.As seen in the last campaign, the Spaniard barely used his youngsters — even in deаd-rubber matches.