Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang admits he was happy to bury the memory of last year’s last-gasp miss against Olympiakos by scoring an all-important brace against Benfica to carry the Gunners to the Europa League last-16.
Having missed three good opportunities in the first leg, the captain put things right in Athens as the Gunners survived a scare to recover from 2-1 down to snatch a 3-2 win on the night and a 4-3 victory on aggregate.
“Everyone is happy tonight,” Aubameyang told BT Sport.
“Definitely, I had this [miss against Olympiakos] in my head but this is what gives me power every day; take the error from the past and transform it into strength. I’m really happy that we won the game.”
On a night when Arsenal’s season teetered on a knife-edge, the Gunners were thankful not just for Aubameyang’s input but also that of Bukayo Saka, who laid on both of the striker’s goals, and Kieran Tierney, who hammered home a well-timed equaliser to make it 2-2.
“I think the team showed character, a lot of character,” said Auba.
“We deserved the win. It was a hard game but tonight I’m really happy for all the team, what we showed tonight is going to be an example for the future.”
Feed the goat. Always remember to feed the goat.
I used to love watching Soccer AM. ‘Tim and Helen’ as my missus used to refer to it.
Soccer AM, a large cooked breakfast and then off to Highbury to watch Vieira, Petit, Overmars, Bergkamp and Wrighty destroy another pile of shite air kicking meat heads.
Waking up on a sunday to go get the news of the world because it was the only place to read about the craziest of transfer rumours around the world. Football italia on too…. GOAAAAAL LAZIOOOOO O OOO
Goals on Sunday and then Sunday Supplement – what a fat human-sofa Arsenal-hating Manc-loving cunt Martin Samuel was. Those croissants must have been wax tv props because there wouldn’t have been any left on the plate if they’d been real.
Then there was Neil Ashton and John Cross completing the Gooner Hate fest.
I stopped watching eventually. Why trade your Sunday lie-in to watch those muppets dribble.
As soon as the full time whistle went, I thought of that Olympiakos miss. I couldn’t be any more happier for Auba.
I know it’s not blogg’s shared opinion, but I couldn’t give a toss about the league after tonight. We absolutely HAVE to win the europa by hook or by crook. We are one of 16 average teams left in the competition. If we managed somehow to win it, we start next season level on points with everyone else and as a champions league team with revenue and prestige and capable of building to a better future relatively quickly. If not, we’re a mid table club that has as good a chance as Everton or Villa of escaping the mire. The… Read more »
I’d absolutely love us to win the Europa.
But the heavy weather we made of those two legs doesn’t fill me with much optimism.
But I agree, it needs to be prioritised. No point putting out a strong team in a mid-table clash in the prem if we have a Europa tie that same week.
I think we’ll probably lose to Leicester which will officially end our season and we’ll find ourselves concentrating on the Europa regardless.
We are the proverbial team of polar opposites – the great and good players (Leno, Bellerin, Gabriel, Tierney, Holding, Partey, ESR, Saka, Auba, Laca, Pepe and Martinelli) and the absolute dead wood who are the reason we are where we are (Willian, Ceballos, Luiz, Xhaka and Elneny)
Whilst Arteta continues to play Willian and whilst we still have that deadwood on the books, mid table is where we will stay.
A team is only as good as its weakest players and our weakest are fucking weak.
I’m with you, there’re no teams that particularly scare me left in the competition. From abroad, Zlatan’s Milan would probably be a little daunting a prospect. Be a great final though (if by some miracle we made it that far), feel a bit more prestigious with two pretty massive clubs.
I have an awful feeling we’ll be meeting Spurs at some point though..
Lose to the Spuds in this competition and that will be Arteta’s lot, as far as I’m concerned.
Mid table is humiliating enough. Missing out on Europe at the hands of those cunts up the Seven Sisters Road – unforgivable.
He’s past it apparently….
Passed it into the net.
Bollocks to Redknapp and his crap shiny suits and brain dead rhetoric.
With any luck Sky will soon do a Chelsea and throw him into the skip with his fat has-been cousin. If anyone’s past it, he is.
He has single handedly transformed Milan from mid table to title contenders. Skill is sometimes irrelevant when it comes to personalities like his and others like him such as Keane, Viera, Gatusso etc. It’s their sheer will to win every single game, every competition, every battle – they stand up and lead. Zalatan is an an alpha, a born leader, built to compete, dominate and win. We have Tierney who has the same competitive spirit, not as dirty and toxic but very brave, gritty and a born leader. Every successful team needs those no nonsense on-pitch leaders who push you… Read more »
Fair fucks to Pierre and the team for digging that result out. I honestly did not see it coming when we went 2-1 down. And what about, Tierney? Like he is so good I actually can’t believe we’ve signed him. How on earth have the other huge sides in Europe let us get away with that one? Bemused considering we were dragging our feet over his transfer fee for quite a while. As for Saka — what a player. If he played for any other side in the league, pundits, and the press would not stop talking about him. But… Read more »
I don’t agree. I think he’s in a bracket of England players that he is not yet the best. Grealish, Maddison and foden are still above him at the moment. Also fabregas carried a team with less money spent.
I hate to be negative but I can’t stand watching arsenal anymore. It reminds me of when I watched Spanish football years ago of the mid table teams passing it around the back wondering why they were so slow
What are you talking about? Grealish is 25, Maddison is 24, both of those players have had development playing in the Championship. Foden is also older than him by a year and playing in one of the best teams in European football at the moment, and is being coached by arguably the greatest manager in the modern game. Fabregas broke into a side that had literally just won the league without losing a single game and had huge World Class players in the squad to help him through games; Vieira, Henry, Pires, Ljungberg, etc.. in it Saka has none of… Read more »
Yes and them players have proved it over a few years until they got the recognition. Age doesn’t mean somebody is automatically better. But if you want to go down that road let’s compare him to sancho. He’s not in that league yet
I still rate fabregas higher, he carried us into top 4 surrounded by song denilson Bentner and co. If saka gets us champs league next year I’ll rethink it
Shano, my man. You’re killing my buzz here. At Saka’s age, Grealish, had pretty much just come back from a loan spell at Notts County in League 1 and Maddison was on the bench for Coventry in the Championship. We are talking about a 19 year old kid, playing in quite literally the worst Arsenal side since about the 1970’s and he is digging out unreal performances in the Premier League and in Europe. That shit is literally unheard of. And that’s not me mincing my words. Phil Foden, was getting carefully placed in games by Guardiola when City were… Read more »
Exactly my thoughts. And by the way, great though Cesc was, Saka has an additional skill set. He can dribble, he can beat players. His vision, decision making and through balls are as good as Cesc but adding being able to beat your man really elevates him imo.
And he’s getting better and better before our eyes.
I doubt I’ll ever see another youngster at Arsenal dominate like Cesc did
You are seeing one now.
great go watch someone else
I guess I just expect better🤷♂️. Apologies
get used to the 12 year old mentality f being told go support spurs chelsea etc if yu arent uber positive abut arsenal on this site. sigh…
Shano, this isn’t about not wanting better. Sure, none of us want to see Arsenal playing like total cunts every week, sniffing around 10th or 11th place in the league, barely being able to get past completely dross teams in a Btec Champions League. Like none of us do. But if you can’t compartmentalize all of that other shit, and just realise how incredible a player Saka is — then genuinely — you need to ask yourself; do you really understand football at all? And I don’t mean that in a nasty way — I am being genuinely serious. You… Read more »
I never once said saka was not a great player. All I said was he’s in a group of English breakthrough players that may be ahead of him right now due to their experience and performances over the last few seasons and that is the reason he may not be getting the aculadles you think he deserves from English media. The reason I can’t get as excited is I actually think we have good players but when I watch them play I can’t envisage this team ever clicking(dare I say I daydream about how well Pepe, esr, saka, martinelli, tierney,… Read more »
And if you put a gun to my head right now I’d swap saka for a 19 year old fabregas. Looking at the tempo and service coming through that midfield to our forwards this season I’d snap someone’s arm off for fabregas to be supplying our forward line
You’re failing to take into consideration the players who you have said are ahead of Saka are genuinely half way through their senior careers, bar Foden, who is playing for the best team in Europe right now and he is still older than him by a whole year.
So those comparisons are completely nonsensical.
Saka is 19.
You’re talking 6 years difference between Grealish and him. Saka is still a teenager.
🤣 Congratulations. The most ridiculous post on here in ages.
Mate, if you can’t see that Saka is currently carrying this team and that he has shown a mature talent way beyond his years, then you need to choose another sport.
Arsenal will have their future work cut out just by hanging on to him – never mind any other aspirations.
Cheers buddy, i guess this isn’t the forum to express an opinion anymore. If the league finished tomorrow and I said the excitement of how good saka isn’t enough to get my hopes up I suppose I’d be nailed to the cross.
Read the comments on all posts people are sick of watching this team and If fans are happy to accept mid table for the money we have spent well then fuck me you are right I’m in the wrong sport
Really well structured summary – enjoyed this 🙂
Onto Leicester
Tierney and Saka are simply incredible. I just hope we start improving so they’ll want to stick around long term. A couple of more seasons like this and you couldn’t blame them for high tailing it out of here. Fantastic win to pull it out of the fire, but poor performance overall across 2 legs. Facing a slightly better team we don’t squeak it out. Partey’s back just in time because I think Ceballos needs to sit out a while after that blunder. Breathtakingly bad error.
Its nuts how good they are considering we are literally a total shambles.
Like fuck me, not a chance they’re sticking around for too much longer if we’re constantly kicking around 10th in the league
Top post.
My thoughts exactly. Either Arsenal get their shit together, or those two will be gone to clubs that actually do know what they’re doing.
It doesn’t seem right that he’s only on 30k per week and Willian is on 180k, or thereabouts.
I know he just got a new contract but surely that has to be reviewed before next season starts. His performances deserve better.
If I were Willian, I would be fucking embarrassed out how completely disastrous I had been. And there is this 19 year old kid doing everything on his own. Same for Pepe as well. I’d be too ashamed to show my face around the dressing room.
Aside from the so-called assist, he was still laying off the ball because he couldn’t be fucked to take anyone on in the box.
The guy is an absolute waster. The sooner we’re rid of him, the better.
I know this won’t please people who think everyone is against Arsenal (actually, it appears supporters of almost every club–even obvious favourites like Man United–think this way), but pundits and the press really are talking about Saka a lot. I might be mistaken, but I could almost swear he even played for England recently.
I agree, not sure where that accusation comes from! They’ve been swooning over he and ESR all season- especially Ferdinand and G Nev.
He is the main man.
Happy we went through, hope we can start firing more in the Prem now.
Let’s hope that the team can build on this hard-fought win as Auba suggests. We need to try and have a positive finish to a largely disappointing season so far. There’s still an outside chance of EL place via the league if we can press on after the result tonight. That will relieve the pressure in the EL itself a little which may help in the next round. Anyway, we’ll see.
Aside saka,my best player today was partey,the calmness he brought to that midfield was second to none
Speaking of Olympiakos, they played their ‘last-minute away goal winner’ card again tonight to knock out PSV, two years running at this round of the competition. Our old friend Sokratis was a 90th minute sub to shore up the win.
Would be ironic to get them in the next round for PEA to get one over them.
Your wish is granted. You’re welcome!
Two more; pleased for him.
If only tonight’s performance would finally put an end to certain numpties – who know nothing about the game – writing slating crap about him in the future, as they will, no matter what.
Good to see him scoring. But in truth we were blunt for large spells and I felt we over elborated with 3 advance mids in ESR, Odegaard and Ceballos to some extent. Felt Odegaard was not quite as necessary would have preferred Lacazette since they were effectively in Xmas tree formation with 5 across the back. COuld have allowed Laca to fight in the middle and Auba to drift around more. Also the fullbacks need to look up before putting in the crosses. Many times, Tierney in particular does the solid thing taking tha ball and having a go at… Read more »
Sorry pal…you are correct about Bellerin…his distribution is very poor…even when he has time.
I disagree with your Tierney assessment….Tierney will take on his man & whip the ball in still under pressure from the defender. He over hit a couple yesterday but on most occasions he is probably our best crosser of the ball.
Auba will be auba. Play the creativecplayers behind him and he will be deadly. Good That we have a platform for him now. Europe is our only chance so let the journey continue!