Egypt’s Mohamed Elneny made his first appearance for Arsenal after 261 days as the Gunners beat Brentford 1-0 in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Elneny has been sidelined with a major injury and last played for Arsenal in December of last year, coming on as a substitute in a 4-2 win at Brighton & Hove Albion.
The 31-year-old’s recovery progressed in recent weeks with Mikel Arteta naming the Egyptian in his UEFA Champions League squad this season.
Just days later, Elneny was on the bench for Arsenal as they travelled to face Brentford away from home in the EFL Cup’s third round.
The North London giants had a flying start to the game and took the lead through Reiss Nelson after just eight minutes.
Eddie Nketiah capitalised on a misplaced pass before setting up Nelson for a simple finish to open his scoring account this season.
In the second half, Elneny made his return late in the game, coming off the bench for a short cameo with only eight minutes left to play.
The victory could be a morale booster for Arsenal who look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League against Bournemouth on Saturday, September 30th.
