Arsenal were knocked out of the UEFA Europa League following a 2-1 loss to Olympiacos. That means the Greek side advances to the next round due to their two away goals at the Emirates tonight.
It was an awful performance from the home side in the first half. They looked clueless as Olympiacos defended in deep blocks and barely allowed any time and space on the ball.
It was pretty much the same story in the second half. In fact, it was Olympiacos that took the lead through Pape Abou Cisse, levelling the score on aggregate. Even though the Gunners pushed for a late equaliser, the game went into extra time, where the main drama transpired.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang restored parity with an extraordinary back volley in the 113th minute. But, just one minute before time, Youssef El-Arabi put Olympiacos in front with a late goal, breaking the hearts of the home fans.
The game wasn’t over, however, as Arsenal still received a last chance to score. But, their glorious opportunity was completely fluffed by Aubameyang, in what will be one of the misses of the season.
Here are the Arsenal players rated in their defeat to Olympiacos.
Arsenal Players Rated In Their Defeat To Olympiacos
Bernd Leno 6
Bernd Leno didn’t really have much to do apart from making a great save in the second half. Couldn’t have done anything to save the equaliser as well as the El Arabi goal but the German continues to step up to the plate whenever required. However, it was his botched clearance which led to the Olympiacos corner from which the Greek side scored in the 119th minute of the tie.
Hector Bellerin 6
It was a below-par performance from Hector Bellerin. His woeful positioning was worrying at times, and the Spaniard also wasn’t able to make a significant difference on the right flank. He was taken off during the final stage of the game.
Shkodran Mustafi 8
Mustafi was perhaps the only Arsenal player who performed at the required level tonight. The German made a host of tackles and clearances and was pretty solid at the back. His dominance in the air made it difficult for Olympiacos to find the back of the net.
David Luiz 5
While Mustafi did well to add more solidity to the Arsenal backline, one could argue that David Luiz should have done a lot better in complementing his efforts. He was perhaps guilty for leaving the cross that was eventually converted by El Arabi late in the game. Not the best of performances from the Brazilian.
Bukayo Saka 7
Bukayo Saka once again impressed with his ability to nestle through tight spaces. But, the youngster lacked identity tonight as he often hovered around different positions. However, his ball rotation was still good.
Granit Xhaka 7.5
Granit Xhaka played quite responsibly. While his passing wasn’t exactly top-notch, the Swiss international provided cover for Saka whenever the youngster went forward. He offered a sense of calmness in the Arsenal midfield, though the aggression and tenacity were slightly missing.
Dani Ceballos 7
It was a pretty decent performance from Dani Ceballos, who eased the transition from defence to attack. The Spaniard rotated possession with a lot of composure, though he failed to provide a creative essence in the final third.
Nicolas Pepe 6.5
A mixed performance from Nicolas Pepe. He was by far the most active attacker for Arsenal. But, at the same time, he tried to dribble his way out of everything, which definitely frustrated his teammates, let alone the fans.
Moreover, the Ivorian is pretty one-footed, which prevented him from making the most out of attacking opportunities in the wide areas of the pitch.
Mesut Ozil 7
Mesut Ozil clearly failed to spark creativity in the final third. He did, however, circulate the ball and linked up well with his teammates. One would expect much more from the German, though his crosses were pretty dangerous during extra time.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 7
Aubameyang could have done a lot more in making himself much more threatening in the final third. He simply didn’t work hard enough and lacked the urgency in his game.
However, he showed his real quality by scoring one of the goals of the season during the 113th minute to put Arsenal in the driver’s seat. But, it was also him who missed a late opportunity that could have taken the Gunners through to the next round of the Europa League.
Alexandre Lacazette 5
A disastrous night for Alexandre Lacazette, who missed a glorious opportunity to put the game to bed in the second half. The Frenchman also lacked concentration and wasn’t sharp enough to make full use of his opportunities.
SUBSTITUTES
Lucas Torreira 7.5
Replaced Ceballos in the 72nd minute and offered a lot of intensity in the middle of the park. Indeed, the Uruguayan worked hard and made Arsenal much more flexible.
Joe Willock 7
Came on for Bellerin in a slightly shocking move by Mikel Arteta. Did not exactly make an impact in the proceedings but the youngster did relatively well in helping Arsenal apply more pressure in the final third.
Sokratis 5.5
Replaced the injured Mustafi during extra time but his poor marking was utterly exposed.
Gabriel Martinelli 6.5
Martinelli should have been brought in much earlier as the youngster’s pace could have caused real problems for the Olympiacos defence.
