A late goal from Chuba Akpom gave Arsenal a 2-1 victory over the MLS All-Stars in their friendly match in San Jose.

Striker Akpom, who spent last season on loan at Hull City, settled the contest in the 87th minute when he tapped in a Nacho Monreal pass from close range.

The Gunners took the lead at the Avaya Stadium when Joel Campbell converted an 11th-minute penalty, awarded after the striker had been fouled by Laurent Ciman.

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech got down well to deny Giovani dos Santos – but he was beaten in first half injury-time by former Chelsea team-mate Didier Drogba.

Drogba saw one effort blocked by Cech and was then denied by defender Rob Harding – but when the loose ball broke for the 38-year-old Montreal Impact striker he was able to net at the third attempt, prodding home.

Chris Wondolowski shot over for the All-Stars nine minutes from time as they pressed for a winner and after Harding headed over three minutes later at the other end, Akpom won it for Arsenal.

In his aftermatch comments, Cech said he expected Wenger to bring in the right players necessary to improve Arsenal’s bid to win a first Premier League title since 2004 without wasting money on panic buys.

Wenger has made three additions to his squad so far in the close season, bringing in Holding, midfielder Granit Xhaka and striker Takuma Asano, and, according to media reports, is actively looking for another forward.

“I think you need to buy players you need, you need to buy those players that will improve the team and not to buy players just for buying. That’s the philosophy of the club,” Cech said.

“I’ve been here since last season and you can see that every time we bring in a player, it’s a player we need, and the manager believes he improves the team.”

Leicester’s Jamie Vardy has already spurned the advances of the north London club in favour of extending his stay at the King Power Stadium, while Lyon said they rejected a £29 million bid for Alexandre Lacazette.

However, Per Mertesacker’s in-jury, which will see the centre-back miss several months, is likely to force Wenger to begin the search for another defender, with reports touting Valencia’s Shkodran Mus-tafi as a possible target.

Arsene Wenger’s side are next in action against Mexico side Chivas in Los Angeles on Monday.

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