Leyton Orient suffered a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal's under-21 side in their EFL Trophy Group South match on Tuesday. Nicholas Oyekunle gave the O's a first-half lead, but goals from A. Stevens and substitute Andre Harriman-Annous turned the game around for the young Gunners.
Richie Wellens's side dominated possession and created far more chances, but were punished for not taking them. They had 28 shots to Arsenal's nine and forced nine corners, but found visiting goalkeeper K. Ranson in fine form with nine saves. The result leaves Leyton Orient with work to do to progress from their EFL Trophy group.
Oyekunle opened the scoring after 25 minutes, finishing from an Idris El Mizouni assist. The lead lasted until the stroke of half-time when A. Stevens equalised for Arsenal, assisted by Maalik Hashi. Wellens made a change at the break, replacing goalscorer Oyekunle with Dane Scarlett.
Despite continuing to press, Orient were caught by a sucker punch with nine minutes remaining. Substitute Andre Harriman-Annous scored what proved to be the winner for the visitors. The O's had a player booked early on, with El Mizouni seeing yellow in the ninth minute.
The loss extends a difficult recent run for Leyton Orient, who have now lost three consecutive matches in all competitions. They sit 15th in the League One table with seven points from their opening six games. Their next fixture is a return to league action at home to Stevenage this Saturday.
