Pablo Fornals scored once and got two assists as he inspired Real Betis to a 3-1 friendly win over Arsenal at Aviva Stadium.

All four goals came in the first half, with the Premier League champions causing a lot of their own problems, despite pulling a set-piece goal back through Piero Hincapie.

Viktor Gyokeres saw a one-on-one shot smothered in the second minute before Pablo Garcia forced Kepa Arrizabalaga into a stretching save at the other end shortly after.

And Betis scored from the resulting corner; Kepa rushed off his line but completely missed the cross as he crashed into the crowd, leaving Rodrigo Riquelme to bring it down on his chest at the back post and fire into the empty net nine minutes in.

Nelson Deossa then doubled their lead with a stunning long-range effort in the 26th minute, putting his laces through the shot to rifle it into the top-right corner.

Just six minutes later, Arsenal pulled one back, with Alvaro Valles palming Christos Tzolis' corner onto the head of Hincapie, who thumped in from close range.

But Betis' two-goal cushion was restored just before the break as Kai Havertz's loose pass was pounced on in midfield, and Fornals drilled his low drive into the bottom-left corner.

Arsenal enjoyed a bit more control in the second half, with Gabriel Jesus' first-time shot whistling just wide of the post the closest they came. Illan Meslier had a scramble in goal to keep out Isco's close-range backheel, too, with neither side able to add to their tally.

More pre-season minutes in the tank pic.twitter.com/uPb40He22p

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 5, 2026

Arsenal stumble in final third

The Gunners looked incredibly comfortable in their 4-1 victory over Girona last time out, but they came unstuck against their opponents this time around.

Despite Mikel Arteta being able to welcome back the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli off the bench, Arsenal struggled to find a way through in the final third.

They racked up 2.0 expected goals (xG) from their nine shots, though only got two on target, with both of those coming before the break. 1.06 of that xG came from set-pieces, a staple in Arsenal's approach, but all of that was also generated in the first half.

Betis largely capitalised on the shakiness in Arsenal's team, with mistakes more than playing their part. And Fornals ensured they took full advantage; he created a game-high four chances, made 16 passes in the final third, and scored with his only shot.

Manuel Pellegrini may feel that his team deserved to come away with an even bigger win, as they got seven of their 10 shots on target, but they had already got the job done before the break.