Kai Havertz has scored in an Arsenal shirt before Mudryk does for Chelsea

Kai Havertz has scored in an Arsenal shirt before Mudryk does for Chelsea

In stoppage time of the second half, the German was on the receiving end from a Marquinhos cross, took a touch off his chest, let it bounce, then rifled it into the net and past New England Revolution keeper Djordje Petrovic.

Not only was it Havertz’s first goal in an Arsenal uniform – on his debut no less – but it was also the fifth goal for the Gunners in a rout of the MLS All-Star Team. At Audi Field on Tuesday, in a well-attended skills challenge, Kai Havertz had 14 goes at the cross and volley competition. He failed with all 14.

Fast forward 24 hours and when Marquinhos sent a cross to the far post from the right wing in the final minute of Arsenal’s 5-0 win against Major League Soccer’s All-Stars, Havertz steadied himself, controlled on his chest and smashed a strike into the far corner.

That’s the thing about football. Deliver when it matters.

Evidently, there will be nights that matter far more than this for Arsenal. Yet, on a sweltering evening, in front of a crowd in excess of 20,000 at Audi Field, the majority of whom were Gunners supporters and who cheered co-chair Josh Kroenke when he was introduced as part of the pre-match presentation party, Havertz was not alone in feeling satisfied with his performance.

It’s a footnote but it was the biggest win ever by a European side in the All-Star game.

“Really pleased,” was manager Mikel Arteta’s assessment after goals from Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Jorginho, Gabriel Martinelli and Havertz gave his side victory.

It was a night to remember for the Gunners – who stormed out of the gates early and went on to win 5-0 in Washington, DC.

That’s the largest margin of victory for a foreign side of the best of MLS – and tied with Manchester United for the most goals scored by a foreign team in the competition’s 27 year history.

So poor was the MLS All-Star Side under manager Wayne Rooney that they only managed a single shot on target throughout the entire evening on seven shots total.

Meanwhile, Arsenal had 16 shots on the night and went a perfect five-for-five on converting their shots on goal.

It was a physical match that both sides seemed to take seriously – with the MLS players struggling to break through Arsenal’s back line and the Gunners able to pick forwards up in stride.

Referee Ted Unkel tried establishing control on the game early and often, dishing out six yellow cards – a record for this competition.