Aston Villa came out on the wrong side of an eight-goal thriller against Arsenal in their first game of the Under-18 Premier League season on Saturday.
Marcelo Flores got the scoring underway just after the 20-minute mark before Khayon Edwards doubled the Gunners’ lead.
Taylor-Jay Hart pulled one back for the visitors, but Arsenal restored their two-goal cushion before half-time when Flores netted his brace.
Charles Sagoe Jr struck just after the break and it was 5-1 when Flores completed his hat-trick after 54 minutes.
Villa struck back with two goals in six minutes from Tommi O’Reilly and Kahrel Reddin, but Arsenal managed to see the final 20 minutes out and take the three points.
The Young Lions are back in action against Norwich City at Bodymoor Heath on Saturday.
