Arsenal went behind against Valencia but came back to win 3-1, with two goals from Alexandre Lacazette and a late one from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang giving us a bit of a cushion when we go to Spain for the second leg.
It was a good win, and a good reaction after going behind.
Read the Arsenal 3-1 Valencia match report and see the goals here
Here’s how the players rated this evening.
Ratings
The ratings are now hidden by default until you vote, but if you just want to view the ratings and the comments, flick the switch at the top above Petr Cech. Also, give the ratings a few seconds to load.
Come on you Gunners!!!
Nervous first 20 minutes or so but we kept fighting and got our reward for it. That has to be the best bonus rating ever, I was at the Leicester game on Sunday and what really struck me after the first goal conceded was all the players just stood there with their heads down looking so defeated. Not a single one of them was encouraging his teammates or anything – including Koscienly our captain. Really happy with this result and I want to put the 3 defeats behind us and fully get behind the team. Every match now is a… Read more »
I’ll be the first to say – much, much better from Mustafi.
it’s no question that he’s generally a good defender – but his constant lapses of concentration are inexcusable, we need to replace him even if he plays well in the remaining matches
Generally good but occasionally fucking terrible
In the immortal words of Gattuso:
“Eeh, sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shit.”
Happy we got the Sometimes maybe good tonight.
He seems to average about 1.5 Mustafis a game. In the last couple games he played he was managing more like 3-4 Mustafis a game, so I guess it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that in this game he didn’t Mustafi much.
On the bright side, if he does continue to mustafi (let’s be honest, obviously he will) he might get lucky and mustafing will become an accepted English word like tebowing…. “the act of taking a knee in prayer during an athletic contest”. Quite a legacy…..
Mustuff-up is probably the best nick for him… he can be good sometimes, even very good on occasion. But you kinda always know that he WILL stuff up – sadly it’s invariably when it really hurts us, never when we’re 3-0 up!
Not sure why there are soo many down votes for ur comment. Fairly certain it’s borderline fact. Mustafi, or any player in the league for that matter, has to be good at their job generally. Granted, lapses in judgment for defenders/goalkeepers tend to have more obvious consequences. What makes Mustafi special tho, is that he’s able to pick the exact worst moment to make dumb decisions on a regular basis.
Great, Mustafi didn’t mustafied our defence. He has to be consistently unmustafi to gain Emery’s trust. This demustafication has to be continuously performed. Great job!
‘demustafication’ — I like the sound of that. Isn’t there something you can give for that, like delousing?
Mustuffup… QED
If we play with a back 5,he can actually be a decent defender.
I don’t know, right off the bat he kicked the ball out for a throw in, then committed a foul in the next play, which led to their set piece where the Valencia player somehow missed when it was easier to score. Had that gone in Mustafi would be getting roasted. After that he was OK.
He did have a worrying couple of mins around the 32nd to 34th minute, where three times in succession he gave the ball away fairly sloppily, and they came right after an impressive interception by him. But barring the hiccups mentioned had a much better game. Had me worried an OG was on the cards when clearing a cross later on but did well to cover despite a slight slice.
Bonus rating 9/10 for Sokratis getting a looped overhead kick on target though, really didn’t expect that bit of attacking resourcefulness from our hefty Greek!
This is the sort of thing that skews the discussion unfairly: Koscielny and every other defender, whether Virgil Van Dijk or Tony Adams, sometimes commits fouls that can lead to dangerous free kicks, concedes throw-ins, etc. If Mustafi played every match as well as yesterday (or as well as most–yes, most–matches) he would be one of the best defenders in the league. The problem is those catastrophic mental mistakes.
Laca may have missed a couple, but you’ve got to love his attitude. Tries to make things happen on his own if no one else does. What a turn that was. Well deserved brace.
Great turn, but how about the quality of vision and eyes on the back of Auba’s head for the first goal?? Laca slotted him through and Auba just outpaced the ball without looking!
Loved that. Laca got the ball and he just hit the gas.
Those two have a great strike partnership going.
and his pass to spring aubameyang for the first goal was inch perfect
Relief!
We won a game! I had forgotten how it feels.
I like Ghendouzi but if Torreira is fit – it´s obvious on the pitch that the team is more solid – I cant understand why he doesn´t start. It´s obvious that everybody is counting on EL and have thrown PL under the bus so team selection is a problem for me. It´s like Emery waits for the predicted lineups and then throws in a spanner just for his amusement
Think it’s because he looked jaded in the last game. Rigours of his first season in the PL look to have had some sort of affect on him, and understandably so. I’m sure he’ll be back in the team sooner than later
Torreira has played 47 matches for arsenal this season. Given the way he plays it’s to be expected. Even when he came on today he closed the opposition down so fast that it made a huge difference in their passing quality. Will need that from the entire team away from home.
I thought Maitland-Niles was really impressive. Really positive and one of the few players in this team who can beat somebody one on one and showed some cockeyness, which is something we sometimes lack
Surprised by the downvotes whenever AMN gets any praise, but I will say this – we’re not excusing his defensive lapses! He needs to refine his positioning and awareness of danger, but he adds so much of what we lost when Hector got injured.
And come on lads, you gotta love the cojones to pull off that Cruyff turn and beat their two pressing forwards who would have been clear on goal if they’d tackled him
Agreed., no clue why people don’t want to praise him. He’s one of ours come up through our youth and normally a midfielder being played out of position and asked to do a crucial job in Emery’s system, and doing fine for the most part. Sure he has his flaws, but they are excusable with youth. He’s got the mentality to settle into games despite a couple of errors. Some young players would go to pieces but he kept his head and by the second half was one of our best players. Would much prefer if people focused on what… Read more »
He deserves the praise. He’s really done a job for the team at wingback. I still think he could become a solid midfielder if we move him back to that position, as his decision-making improves. He’s got incredible recovery speed, and can dribble, and could be a really valuable midfield player in a 4-3-3 considering how much ground he can cover.
too bad emery fell so madly in love with Gndu …. AMN would have really benefited from an extended run in the midfield.
Honestly, he needs to play wing back in a 3-4-3 formation (Koscielny, Mustafi and Sokratis at the back) then Kolasinac as the other wing back
Agree 100% – he has the skill and strength to be a Gilberto for us (Vieira might be pushing it at this early stage!) especially if this defensive stint hones he’s tackling skills and awareness. He seems to have a decent, albeit immature, football brain which will only improve with time.
I also feel we need to appreciate what he has gone through with his mother at such an early age, he is mature and looks to come good imho
I think there’s a good chance that Maitland-Niles will develop into a quality player. He’s not there yet–I thought he did little for much of the game. And that stooped attempted headed back-pass could very easily have cost us a goal. Imagine if Mustafi had done that?
That turn from AMN was quite something. Not something anyone wants to see often, but credit to him he pulled it off as cool as you like
Yeah agreed, he is kind of a cool cat
I’d really like to see him in the midfield in cup games next season.
We’re at a danger of losing him if we continue to play him out of position.
Hopefully it’s just a plaster until Bellerin is back and we get another RB.
We literally cannot afford to lose him – with our finances the way they are we need to nurture and develop our youth.
Great to get that 3rd goal, though never should have given up their goal as Mustafi needlessly fumbled the ball out of bounds giving them a corner (and gave them another cheap one later). Lacazzette did get two goals, but really missed badly on two great chances.
We have a two goal lead going into the second leg of the Europa semi-final. After the miserable run we’ve had recently, we should be proud of everyone for showing the mental fortitude to cast aside their doubts and put in a really memorable performance. This is especially true in the case of Mustafi. Enjoy the win pal, we’re half way to Baku!
Agreed. I really wish we were more clinical at times, it would make things a lot easier! Thank f**k for that third.
I thought Mkhi was excellent when he came on. He arrived at a time when we were getting a bit stuck and he drove through the Valencia deep block to put us back on the front foot
Completely agree, seemed like he went on with clear instructions to dribble and drive at the defence after a long discussion with Emery just before being subbed on
Best I’ve seen Mkhitaryan play for a while. Real purpose to his runs and caused them lots of problems. If he can reproduce that level of performance every time he plays it would be grand.
Only time he’s played at home in a while (or did he come on against Palace?).
With Rambo gone, he’s the only other player who drives from deep with the ball.
Iwobi does it, but too often a poor final product.
On that note… this team simply looks more solid without Iwobi. Yes, he can sometimes drive us forward, but just leaves too much a gaping hole on the left flank in defence.
Agreed. Mkhi peformed very well when he came on. Felt good for him after his loss of form.
Agree – I’ve had him over the coals on this forum before… but fair-do’s, he looked like a man on a mission last night.
Couple of errors from Maitland-Niles early on but thought he was excellent thereafter. Mustaphi much improved, so kudos to him for that. Koscielny superb. Laca and Auba doing it when it matters. A good nights work all round. Now don’t fuck it up against Brighton.
Cech 7 good when needed Kos 7 good but tired Papa 7 fast to cover Mustafi Mustafi 4 even a goal will make me angry AMN 4 Lack of concentration Kola 5 lack of football intelligence and 1 Assist. Xhaka 6 I dare to say that he and Ozil are counter acting each other. Similar qualities. Slow tempo playmakers, lazy defensively. Guendouzi 6 gathering XP Ozil 6 he needs fast wingers to play through balls Laca 9 he wants it Auba 9 he is not Walcott Lucas 8 he stabilized us Monreal 7 renew him Miki 6 he used to… Read more »
As you Englishmen say, are you mad?
No I’m furious
Oh he’s a wanker, that one is.
But why?
Well, you are the first person I know of that thinks Xhaka and Ozil have similar qualities.
Brother – I don’t know what you’ve been smoking but I’d love to know where you bought it.
Thought Ozil played a big part in turning the game around. Was getting on the ball a lot and pushing us forward, presses fairly well and every time he played it wide he sprinted forward in the centre rarely seeing a return pass
I agree, he did. It can be hard to recognise what he brings to the table. Case in point is the rating for him above, which, erm, misses the point(s) entirely.
I just wonder how the votes would look if Xakha or Mustafi made that horrible mistake instead of AMN… We could have been 2-0 down. I think Xakha is underappreciated BTW. On most podcasts, including this one, people want him sold without hesitation. Careful what you wish for…
Xhaka is like the IT guy at work, everyone has some problem with him, oh he didn’t do this for me or that blah blah but when he’s not there everything completely falls apart.
Totally agree – he makes the ball work for the team – his passing is soooo good that when he makes a bad one it is such a surprise that everyone notices. Kola got one pass right tonight.
A bit quicker and with two feet it’d be less of a thing
do you work in IT by any chance?
Adam stop posting on Arseblog and come fix my computer!
AMN needs to cut those boneheaded moments out. He’s young, so hopefully.
Xhaka I go back and forth on. That play inside our box was a great example of how stupid Xhaka can be. I like him, but we need options.
The problem is he ain’t Santi… but then, no-one is.
Road to final…Together we go
A great , resilient performance. One step in the final. If we cloned laca and played him across the pitch , I don’t think even the CB lacas would look out of place. Great fighter.
Also for a player with such high chances created and assists, Kolasinac’s passing is piss poor.
Needed one of these brutes in our team though.
Xhaka was not great tonight. Misplaced too many passes. Goal was partly on him. Was not good defensively and seemed precariously close to a booking. When he’s off, he’s a liability.
Ozil ran well, covered alot of ground.
Koz only behind Laca as MOTM.
Generally a good performance. Good enough to win, which is all that matters, really.
Except he wasn’t off and had an assist and laid one on for Aubameyang
I thought Xhaka was poor at first, especially in his passing, but got better and better as the game went on; by the end, he was at his best level. Maybe, as someone I was watching with said, he’s a player who needs a run of games and is only now getting beck into form after his injury.
Disgusting from the fans in the Emirates. 10 minutes to go in a European semi final and the stadium is half empty.
What the actual Fuck?
It just perplexes me how people go to a football match but leave 10 minutes before the end, for what to beat the crowds,if you can’t stay till the end, just stay at home, it makes late goals extra satisfying for me, thinking about those people missing it
I was thinking that too, hoped they enjoyed hearing about the 3rd as the they were halfway down the road. Crucial game, last European game of the season at home, result on edge and the stadium empties on 80 minutes. Embarrassing really
Same at half time too. So desperate to get a rubbish drink at inflated prices?
I did take the opportunity during an injury break to go to the toilet and was amazed at how many people were on the concourse just watching the game on the TV out there. ?
Mate – they got their comeuppance… trudging to the station and hearing that almighty cheer from the faithful.
Spent a small fortune and missed the best goal of the night just to save a few minutes in the Tube queue… bless!
Secondly Mkhitariyan is so much better when he plays centrally instead of the wing. Especially coming on late he can drive at the defence and shoot unlike our man Iwobi.
Think it’s more to do with the situation/opposition than his position. He looked good as one of the two behind the striker (in fact, he and Iwobi completely changed the game) in the home game against Rennes.
I think any time he has any physical duels to win, he falls apart, which is why he has been awful recently (we’ve played away a lot with the home game against a physical Palace side). When he doesn’t get pushed off the ball, he suddenly looks decent.
That’s just my thoughts, anyway.
Ozil looked very up for it – chasing them down and challenging in the air even – and the cross for laca’s second was very well delivered
Also Cech with a massive save in his last game at the Emirates
Much improved all round. We are so damn lucky to have Laca! What a player ?
Mostly positives for us as we went back to 3 Cbacks. As I have mentioned, back 4 was a mistake last 3 matches in league. A bit of nervousness first half and still systemic issues defending corners/set pieces but better cover from open play. 1) Cech – Thought he could have dealt with the ball in for their goal a bit better. OK. 2) AMN – One very iffy header back to Cech that almost exposed him. Some poor moments, needs to be a bit more switched on but generally he is the best we have on that flank at… Read more »
Wondered how you’d work Iwobi into a game where he didn’t play Santa? So thanks for not disappointing. What is disappointing is you insistence that he is a better player than Ozil?! To whit: ‘Iwobi and one of Ozil or Mhki’ … seriously?
As you have ‘mentioned’, ‘been saying’, ‘keep reiterating’… repetition don’t make it so.
Agree with most of that apart from Iwobi. He’s really down the pecking order in my view.
The defence as usual went awol.A 2 goal cushion aint nothing especially if
Valencia were to score first. Then the gunners defence could be on a knife edge
and errors could follow.
Hopefully Emery will shore up the defence for the remaining epl and el games.
i think we should buy Mouctar Diakhaby
Just got home from the game… fantastic atmosphere from the arsenal boys again. Lacazette was immense upfront. The first goal was such a school boy mistake. I was on the side line screaming to mark no19. How kolasanic or any other player can leave someone unmarked on the back post from a corner is beyond me
I still believe Wenger’s dna is still with Arsenal. Their intricate passing
in front of amassed defence is easily stifled and a fast breakaway would
result in the gunners going behind.
That’s how the foxes/wolves and CP won.
If Emery goes all out of the offensive,Arsenal better beware of the
quick counter attack. In the 2nd leg Arsenal better tighten up
defensively .If Valencia were to score the first goal it
could make the gunners defence nervous.
You do know that “intricate passing” is bread and butter in Spanish League and for every Spanish manager
Isn’t there some club in Catalonia that does it a lot?
Hustafi and Rob Holding partnership earlier on was great, hope he stays and improves!!
Had a good night, led the team in clearances and interceptions. -Gets a 6
Thought he looked a bit off in some moments, strong in others, but generally ok -Gets a 6.5
Hate much?
This would be a scorching rebuke if you hadn’t cocked up the numbers.
Mustafi was rated a 7, higher than Sokratis, so not sure what you mean?
Kolasinac needs to defend better.. That Kevin Gamiero effort, he made no attempts to track his run…
Socrates could have had a straight red, or two yellows, was a bit over enthusiastic…
I.d forgotten about that. Didn.t think Papa had a great game all round
I would have had no problems with that lunge being a red. Moronic challenge.
Amazing how he was not even booked for that.
Firstly, well done Arsenal on a very good result and, at times, good performance. Here is hoping we can go all the way and lift this trophy But, in light of Blogs post about squad rebuilding in the summer and what i watched tonite and in previous games..fuck we need a lot of surgery. That backline is on it’s last legs! Kos couldn.t fi nish the game, Nacho looks done as an Arsenal player, Papa is decent but not much more. When Mustafi is legitimately your best defender on the night and best option going forward then big work is… Read more »
Agree with the sentiments but I’d imagine van de Beek is unlikely (age and ability-wise, I think it would be worth splashing out on him if we could, though) and Luka Jovic is pretty much impossible (probably not viable to have three top level strikers though). The defenders we’re getting linked to don’t fill me with any confidence either. This morning it’s a centre back at Getafe who is 5’10” and a right back at Strasbourg who is 27 (he hasn’t played for anyone decent up to this point – is that not an indicator that he’s probably not that… Read more »
We seem a little bit more energised for Europe don’t we?
I’m often spewing a lot of ozil hate gumbo on here. But I’ll be real he actually tried vs Valencia.
Putting aside the fact “trying” is largely considered the bare minimum, I’m proud of his performance and maybe it shows there’s some sort of gumption within him after all.
I think we may just have found our skipper when King Kos finally runs himself into an old age home… Laca was epic. Works his friggin’ red ‘n white socks off and clearly has the ear of his team mates. Seems a natural leader – and from the front to boot (ouch!)
Is it just me or do we have a spookily portentous single hand on this trophy, since we have a player with the same name as the final venue? You couldn’t script him getting a run-out if we make the final though…