Five months after leaving Arsenal, Frenchman Arsene Wenger has returned to management in England – with a victory.
Wenger, who spent 22 years in charge of the Gunners before leaving in May, took charge of a Premier League Masters XI against an African Masters side in the inaugural KANU CUP.
The game was a charity fixture organised by one of Wenger’s former players, the ex-Gunners striker Nwankwo Kanu, and was played at Barnet’s Hive stadium on Sunday.
Wenger stepped into the Premier League dugout, and oversaw a dominant display in which his charges scored nine goals, with the Africans only pulling back a couple late on to make it 9-4 at full time.
The charity match, in aid of the Nwankwo Kanu Heart Foundation, involved several former players who starred for Wenger in the Premier League era.
These included Sol Campbell, Robert Pires, Jens Lehmann, Lauren, Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, and Wiliam Gallas.
Other Premier League legends in action included Steve McManaman and Louis Saha, while Lomana Lua Lua, Michael Essien and Yakubu turned out for the African team.
The Premier League outfit took the lead inside 90 seconds through former Liverpool defender David Thompson, and never let up from there.
Gallas burst from the back for the second before Lua Lua struck left footed to pull it back to 2-1 at half time – and celebrated with a trademark somersault – before the floodgates opened in the second half.
A total of 10 goals were scored after the break; Saha and Pires both netting twice and Kanu bagging in the cup named after him, while Lua Lua scored a second, with Essien and Yakubu slotting consolations for the Africans.
KANU CUP SQUADS
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