Arsenal entertained Villarreal at the Emirates Stadium earlier tonight as they looked to pick up a narrow win and book their place in the UEFA Europa League final. Both sides fought tooth and nail in the first half but struggled to make a decisive breakthrough as they went into the half-time break with a goalless scoreline.
It was more of the same story in the second 45 minutes with the visitors willing to sit back and soak in all the Arsenal pressure. Mikel Arteta’s men looked toothless in the attacking third and were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at home (1-2 loss on aggregate) which knocked them out of the UEFA Europa League.
Let’s take a look at how each Arsenal player performed during the match against Villarreal.
GK: Bernd Leno – 7/10
The German keeper made a couple of important saves but was a bit untidy with his ball distribution. Still, he will be pleased with the clean sheet tonight.
RB: Hector Bellerin – 6.5/10
The Spanish full-back cleared his lines when required and made one good chance in the final third.
CB: Rob Holding – 7/10
He did what was needed of him at the back and deserves credit for winning some 50-50 aerial duels for his team.
CB: Pablo Mari – 8/10
Mari was a commanding presence on the defensive end of the field. He was unstoppable in the air and won the ball back a couple of times for his team.
LB: Kieran Tierney – 6.5/10
The Scottish full-back was mostly untroubled inside his half and had a few bright moments going forward.
CDM: Thomas Partey – 7/10
He protected the backline well and won possession back on a few occasions for his team. However, he struggled to influence the game in the Villarreal half.
RM: Bukayo Saka – 7/10
Saka worked hard to help his teammates in defence and even managed to engineer a couple of promising chances in the attacking third.
CM: Martin Odegaard – 6/10
He failed to influence the game in the final third and got replaced in the 65th minute.
CM: Emile Smith Rowe – 7/10
Smith Rowe caused all sorts of problems for the Villarreal defenders but didn’t perform well enough to get himself a goal or an assist.
LM: Nicolas Pepe – 7/10
Pepe was full of running out on the wide areas. He also orchestrated two good opportunities for his teammates but never looked like he had a goal in him.
ST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 6.5/10
The Gabon international had a few shots but once again failed to get his name on the scoresheet.
Substitutes:
ST: Gabriel Martinelli – 6/10
He made a couple of encouraging runs but never got a sniff at goal.
RM: Willian – 6/10
The Brazilian playmaker failed to get into the flow of the game.
ST: Alexandre Lacazette – 6/10
The French striker had some lively moments but never got close to scoring.
ST: Eddie Nketiah – N/A
He hardly had any time to influence the game.
