Lacazette’s a delight for Wenger

Arsene Wenger hailed new striker Alexandra Lacazette after he bagged his first Arsenal goal yesterday.

Lacazette marked his first start at the Emirates Stadium with a goal to help Arsenal lift the Emirates Cup despite losing 2-1 to Sevilla.

The club-record signing came off the bench in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Benfica but played from the start against Sevilla.

The competition rules dictate that every goal is rewarded with a point, meaning that, despite Sevilla winning both of their games, Arsenal retained their own pre-season trophy after hitting five against Benfica.

On Lacazette, Wenger enthused: “When he was involved he was intelligent, he protected the ball well and he got his goal – overall, it was an encouraging performance.”

Joaquin Correa had put the LaLiga outfit ahead early in the second half but Lacazette, who had been having a mixed afternoon, tapped home to level for Arsene Wenger’s side, only for Steven N’Zonzi to hit a fantastic winner.

Francis Coquelin, who limped off on Saturday, is likely to miss the Community Shield showdown with Chelsea this weekend, with an ankle ligament problem. Defender Shkodran Mustafi remains a doubt for the opening Premier League game against Leicester on August 13.

Mo Salah, Dominic Solanke and Georginio Wijnaldum netted as Liverpool beat Hertha Berlin 3-0.