Arsenal 5-3 Barcelona: Pictures & talking points from pre-season friendly in Los Angeles

Arsenal and Barcelona put on a real show in Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium, with the Gunners ultimately coming out on top with a hectic 5-3 victory.

Barcelona took the lead twice in the first half, with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha scoring either side of an equaliser and a missed penalty from Bukayo Saka, but a Kai Havertz header late in the first half tied things up at the interval.

Arsenal ran riot in the second half as Leandro Trossard netted twice, and a late strike from Ferran Torres was soon cancelled out by an even-later effort from Fabio Vieira which saw Arsenal retain their two-goal lead when all was said and done.

Here's a look back at the best bits of the action.

Declan Rice surprisingly left out

Not only did Declan Rice not start this one, but the new £105m man was not even named on Arsenal's bench.

No explanation was given initially, leaving Arsenal fans to fear the worst, and it was not until after the game that Mikel Arteta confirmed Rice had picked up a minor injury in training.

"Dec had quite a strong kick in training and didn’t want to take the risk, he wasn’t comfortable to train yesterday and today, and we decided not to play him," the boss told reporters.

Bukayo Saka's missed penalty

Before Bukayo Saka actually did equalise, he had the chance to find the back of the net from the penalty spot.

Not only did he fail to find the back of the net, but Saka dragged his effort horribly wide of the goal and flung his head into his hands once he realised what had happened.

Saka's resilience was on show as he picked himself up and scored soon after, but this latest miss may spark questions over Arsenal's penalty duties for the new season.

Underwhelming debuts for Gundogan & Romeu

Both Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu threw on their new shirts for this one but neither enjoyed the sort of debut they would have wanted.

It soon became clear that neither player was fully fit - no surprise considering this was their first friendly of the summer - and they were mercifully danced around by an Arsenal midfielder whose preparations for the campaign are far more advanced.

There's nothing to be worried about just yet, but there's no denying things have to improve soon.

Barcelona's tired legs on full view

Barcelona were playing their first pre-season friendly just days after half the squad were struck down with a virus, and they looked exactly like a team playing their first pre-season friendly just days after half the squad were struck down with a virus.

Arsenal's fresher legs made the difference as Barcelona were mentally and physically sloppy. Andreas Christensen was guilty of an error for Saka's equaliser but was by no means the only Blaugrana star who didn't look ready for this one.

Fitness work has to be the order of business for Xavi, whose side have a date with Real Madrid coming up in just a few days. How's that for pressure?

Kai Havertz nets again

After an uncomfortable start to his summer, Kai Havertz appears to be slowly finding his feet in an Arsenal shirt.

The £65m man, again lining up in the left-sided midfield position, netted his second goal in as many games against Barcelona, tapping in at the back post just before the half-time break to tie things up before being handed an early rest.

It was perhaps Havertz's best performance of pre-season so far, looking far more comfortable in possession and making those late-box runs that could well define his time at Arsenal.

Fabio Vieira steals the show

In a game overflowing with highlights, the best belonged to Fabio Vieira.

The midfielder bagged the eighth and final goal of the game in the dying embers with an absolute scorcher from range that fizzed into the top corner and left stand-in stopper Inaki Pena with no chance whatsoever.

Competition for minutes in Arsenal's midfield has never been this fierce but moments like this will definitely help Vieira stand out.

READ THE LATEST ARSENAL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP

READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP