Arsenal fans got to see Alexandre Lacazette in action for the Gunners for the first-time yesterday during a pre-season clash with Sydney FC, where the club’s new record-signing came off the bench to seal victory with a superb second-half goal.

Per Mertesacker gave Arsenal an early lead but the Gunners struggled to extend their advantage, despite having numerous opportunities, until Lacazette latched onto a perfectly weighted pass across goal from fellow substitute Alex Iwobi to tuck home.

Having made an immediate impact, the pressure on Lacazette should be raised significantly and it could help him continue to settle to life with the Gunners, as he prepares for a likely starting spot in tomorrow morning’s second game in Australia against Western Sydney Wanderers.

Arsene Wenger was clearly delighted with Lacazette’s impact and believes his first goal is a key moment in the Frenchman’s career in North London, despite it only being a friendly, as he spoke to the club’s official website after the match down under.

“It is important for him to get that [first goal] off his shoulders because you expect to score if you are a striker,”

“You could see that he was happy but overall what we were looking for was to play at pace and to develop our collective game and for long periods in the game that was quite good for us. We had tough opposition because they fought for every ball but at the end of the day their goalkeeper was the man of the match.”

Having taken just 15 minutes to net his first Arsenal goal, Lacazette is expected to start tomorrow in Arsenal’s second-match in Sydney as the Gunners will make a wealth of changes to their side before jetting off for two matches in China.

Lacazette will be tested against stronger opposition next week when Arsenal clash with Bayern Munich and Chelsea in China but the goal yesterday should help the 26-year-old find his rhythm with the Gunners, as he’s already given an insight into the sort of boost he can provide Arsenal with this season.