RC Lens came from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1 at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in France in what was a disappointing display from the Gunners.
The Gunners might not want to look back at this match because of how they struggled to settle in, even though they managed to score an early goal.
Lens were inches away from taking an early lead as a second corner in the 4th minute caused havoc in the Arsenal box, but Kevin Danso’s shot went past the right post.
Arsenal then took the lead through Gabriel Jesus in the 14th minute after the Brazilian received the ball from Saka who had dispossessed Adrien Thomasson.
The former Manchester City striker sent a low shot to the bottom corner to put Arsenal ahead.
But the Gunner’s lead lasted just 10 minutes as Thomasson made up for his mistake. After receiving the ball from Elye Wahi, he curled it around Arsenal’s goalkeeper David Raya to level matters.
It went from bad to worse for Arsenal as they were dealt a huge blow when Bukayo Saka was forced off injured. He was replaced by Fabio Vieira in the 33rd minute, but latter’s impact was barely seen throughout the match.
Leandro Trossard’s shot in the early stages of the second half was saved by Lens goalkeeper Jean Onana. The custodian also come to his side’s rescue in the 67th minute when he denied Takehiro Tomiyasu.
But Lens were not to be denied! They got their second two minutes later through Wahi. The Frenchman latched on Przemysław Frankowski’s inviting cross into the box to put complete Lens’s comeback.
Arsenal mounted more pressure for the remainder of the match in their bid to find an equalizer, but Lens stood their ground and maintained their defense formation to deny the Gunners any chance of a comeback.
This was Arsenal’s first loss of the season. They will look to regroup quickly as they face Manchester City in the Premier League over the weekend.
