“We started the game really well, really aggressive in our high press. We regained the ball every time they were attacking. We were really composed in our finishing in the final third and scored some great goals. The clean sheet is important aswell, it’s the second one in two games and we need to build on that ... the boys were really at it from the start and they showed real quality. It was a really important performance at a crucial moment ... There are still a lot of things we can improve but we have a real desire as a team to be better every day.”
Regarding the semi-final, he says: “It will be really tough. Villarreal are a top team and Unai is the most successful manager in this competition.”
Buayo Saka’s post-match debrief: “It was fantastic from start to finish. We did it for all the fans. They deserve it for all the support they give us. I think we showed real character. After the first one was disallowed we kept going... We were really strong in the first half and pretty much killed the game. I feel in the first leg we played really well, we just weren’t clinical. If we had taken our chances, it would have been a similar result. This shows everyone how exciting we can be... When we play like this it’s so exciting to be involved ... We have the quality, we just have to show the performances and game management that we did today.”
That was exactly what Arsenal needed, both in terms of result and and performance. They are into a Europa League semi-final against Unai Emery’s Villarreal thanks to a skilful and authoritative display that made one wonder how they managed to make things so difficult for themselves last week. Three goals in six first-half minutes did the trick today. In a proper collective demonstration, certain individuals stood out: Saka, Pépé, Lacazette and Smith Rowe were excellent, and Xhaka did a good job at left-back while Partey was effective in midfield.
Arsenal ease into the semi-finals after dominant display in Prague. Photograph: Martin Divíšek/EPA
86 min: Lovely run by Martinelli, down the let wing and around the outside of the defender, before cutting back on to his right foot and trying to curl a shot past the out-rushing keeper. He doesnt get enough bend on it and it flops wide.
84 min: It’s down to walking pace now. Slavia have been beaten into submission, and Arsenal have no need to over-exert themselves. They’ve already started preserving themselves for their big date with Unai Emery.
GOAL! Slavia 0-4 Arsenal (Lacazette 77) (agg: 1-5)
Lacazette crowns a fine victory with a lovely finish. Saka releassed Pepe down the left. The Ivorian passed a low cross to Lacazette eight yards out. The striker took a touch, then duped the defender by rolling the ball on to his left foot, then whipped it into the net.
Photograph: Martin Divíšek/EPA
Alexandre Lacazette scores Arsenal’s fourth goal. Photograph: David W Černý/Reuters
73 min: Partey has had a quietly efficient game today. He’s bossed midfield by breaking up anything Slavia have tried to build and being a tidy conduit of Arsenal moves. Nothing spectacular, just very effective.
Thomas Partey in action with Jan Boril. Photograph: David W Černý/Reuters
68 min: Provod cuts in from the left and unleashes a shot with his right foot, but three Arsenal player converge on him and block easily. Meanwhile, since Villarreal are 3-0 up on aggregate in their joust with Dinamo Zagreb, Arsenal are on course for that semi-final rendez-vous with Unai Emery.
63 min: A kerfuffle near the touchline results in a booking for Olayinka, seemingly for raising a hand towards Ceballos, who collapsed as if hit with a mace. A sorry spectacle.
Peter Olayinka of Slavia Prague is shown a yellow card. Photograph: Martin Sidorjak/Getty Images
61 min: I don’t think the gentle pressure that Slavia applied for a few minutes after half-time qualifies as a storm, but whatever it was, Arsenal appears to have weathered it. They are now controlling proceedings at a relatively sedate pace at the far end of the pitch.
58 min: Strong play by Pépé wide on the left, winning the ball and twisting between two players to instigate a counter-attack. When the ball reaches Lacazette in the area, the striker loses his footing under a tackle. There are tentative appeals for a penalty but the ref’s not interested.
56 min: Chambers is caught in possession near half-way, and Kuchta tries to zip a pass through to a teammate, but Holding steps across to atone for his teammate’s error.
54 min: Having wasted a couple of corner, Slavia win a freekick wide on the left and hoist it into the area. Olayinka rises high but heads the ball way over the bar.
52 min: Party charges down a shot by Zima at the near post after Slavia played their way into the box nicely. They’re showing a bit of dignity, at least.
48 min: Saka, Arsenal’s best player so far, lopes down the and then chops back on to his left foot and delivers a useful cross. It’s headed away, but Smith Rowe regains it and wins a corner on the far side.
46 min: Fair to say the Slavia manager was not happy with his team’s first half performance: he’s made four changes for the second period, with Lingr, Visinsky, Maospust and Dorley replacing Stanciu, Bah, Hromada and Boril.
“Arteta has coached the most inconsistent, unpredictable Arsenal team,” bellows John Amuyunzu. “They disappoint and thrill in equal measure. By the time this game ends, I’ll have shouted myself hoarse.
Only a collapse of monumental propositions can stop Arsenal from reaching the semi-final now, and nothing about the first half suggests that is likely. Arteta’s team were utterly commanding and earned a plump cushion by hitting three goals in six minutes, all just after they had one disallowed for an impossibly tight offside decision.
43 min: Holding does well again, this time as the last man after an Arsenal attack breaks down. Kuchta tries to dribble past him but he keeps his eye on the ball and chooses the right moment to intervene, then wellies the ball downfield.
41 min: Slanciu beats Ceballos with a lovely piece of skill, but he’s outnumbered when he gets into the box, and Slavia have to make do with a corner. Holding heads it away.
39 min: A smidgin of encouragement for Slavia: they’ve cranked up the tempo and started to string some passes together. They even work their way into the Arsenal area, but Arsenal are back in heavy numbers, and Partey makes an important block.
37 min: Slavia have conceded five goals in 13 home matches in the Czech league this season. Got to fancy Arsenal’s chances of netting at least that many today. “Does anyone know what happened at the kick off?” asks Tom Atkins. “The Arsenal players retreated to take a knee while the Prague players stood on the edge of the centre circle with their arms round each other penalty shoot out style. It seemed pretty tense, and the camera cut to Nicholas Pepe looking pretty unimpressed afterwards. For reasons too boring to go into I’ve got the sound off so I may be completely misreading it.” Slavia did the same before previous matches, explaining that is the gesture they use to show opposition to racism, rather than taking the knee.
34 min: Zima puts out a cross by Chambers at the expense of a corner. Saka ambles over to take it. Arsenal players crowd around the keeper as if implementing an order from Sam Allardyce. But it’s a decoy, as Saka aims a corner towards Chambers about eight yards out. He’s closed down before he can get his shot off.
32 min: Slavia’s manager is fuming on the sideline, angrily waving his team forward. But they can’t get any momentum because Arsenal are pressing them so well. Xhaka, by the way, has been a perfectly serviceable left-back so far.
29 min: This is very good from Arsenal. They’re not relenting in the slightest, continually pressurising the hosts high upfield so that Slavia can barely even dream of launching a comeback.
26 min: “Arsenal aren’t sated. They rip forward on a counter-attack in search of another goal. Slavia can’t cope with their pace. But Boril dives in to cut out Chambers low cross from the right, preventing Smith Rowe from making it 4-0.
And another one! Chambers strides out of defence and plays a fine pass to Saka on the right wing. The youngster darts infield, easily eliminates the let-back and fires a cleverly disguised and deadly accurate low shot into the near corner. Brilliant.
Saka gets in on the act with Arsenal’s third goal. Photograph: Petr David Josek/AP
GOAL! Slavia 0-2 Arsenal (Lacazette pen. 21) (agg: 1-3)
Lacazette calmly sends the keeper the wrong way and rolls the ball into the opposite corner. Slavia will have to score three goals - and avoid conceding any more - to overturn this. Arsenal can’t possibly mess things up from here, can they? They’ve been tip-top so far and looks like they could go on and win this by many more.
Photograph: Gabriel Kuchta/BPI/REX/Shutterstock
Arsenal are fully in charge of the tie. Photograph: Petr David Josek/AP
This one stands! Smith Rowe creatd it by wriggling past two in the box and then slipped a pass through a defender’s legs and into the path of Pépé, who showed great coolness to dink it past the advancing keeper from seven yards.
This one stands and Arsenal are ahead. Photograph: David W Černý/Reuters
After a VAR review, the goal is chalked off. No one has confirmed why to the watching public, and the TV has shown any persuasive reply. We are left ot assume that Smith Rowe was offside.
GOAL! Slavia 0-1 Arsenal (Smith Rowe 14) (agg: 1-2)
Dull?! Forget that! Arenal tore forward in numbers for the first time. Saka picks it up on the right wing, tiptoes towards the edge of the box and then unloads a left-footed shot to which the keeper gets a slight touch, just enough to tip it on to the post. Smith Rowe reacts faster than anyone to prod the rebound into the net from 10 yards.
Smith-Rowe thinks he’s put Arsenal ahead. Photograph: David W Černý/Reuters
13 min: There’s not been much for the smattering of fans in the stadium to get excited about so far; the only noise from them since kickoff has been occasional rounds of applauses when one of the home players dispossesses Arsenal. It’s a tight and tense game; some would say dull.
8 min: Slavia have got a firm foothold in the game now. But most of the play from both teams is in midfield, with neither able to make serious inroads towards the opposing box.
6 min: Ceballos tries to thread a pass through to Lacazette from mid-way inside the Slavia half, but Hromada, ever vigilant in front of the home defence, cuts it out and strides into Arsenal territory. But he didn’t get far into it before being dispossessed.
No fans? Not quite, actually, there is a cluster of them on one side of the ground, and they’ve started a-hollering and a-clapping to try to make their presence felt.
... but doesn’t say much unless you consider “we are really excited to play the game, we want to be in the semi-final” to be an interesting comment. He also says Gabriel Martinelli is not starting because of a slightly sore ankle but is likely come on if needed (“he is going to be very useful during the game”).
There’s good and bad news for Arsenal. On the down side, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, who made such a positive impact off the bench in the first leg, is not fit enough to feature at all today, and nor are Martin Odegaard and, of course, Kieran Tierney. On a brighter note, gifted young sprites Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe are rearing to go, as is Nicolas Pepe, who also made a big difference as a substitute in the first leg.
Gabriel has been dropped from central defence and replaced by Pablo Mari. Granit Xhaka is being asked to play at left-back. Guess we’ll have to wait and see whether that belongs to the good or bad news category. Slavia, meanwhile, are without Ondrej Kudela, who’s in the “banned for 10 matches for racial abuse” category.
The way Slavia celebrated at the end of last week’s first leg in London suggested they thought the 1-1 away draw meant they had already completed the hardest part of this tie. Their confidence is understandable: the Czech champions have not lost at home in any competition since November 2019. But Arsenal have scored in every away match so far and must know they have the potential to beat their hosts if they play with the same intensity that they mustered in the last quarter of the first leg until, of course, conceding a slapdash late equaliser.
The question, then, is can Mikel Arteta’s infuriatingly inconsistent and sometimes incoherent team produce a sharp all-round performance when their season depends on it? Advance today and they could have a semi-final reunion with dear old Unai Emery to look forward to. Fail, and their current manager will find himself having to explain what use this entire season has been. The stakes are high. Are Arsenal up to it?
