Arsenal secured safe passage straight through to the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday night, courtesy of a 2-1 comeback win over Girona.
The Gunners, assured of at least a knockout play-offf round place before kick-off but seeking absolute guarantees of a bye to the next round, finished third in the final league phase standings.
Although Mikel Arteta’s side were mostly comfortable, it wasn’t a completely straightforward task after falling behind to a goal from ex-Tottenham Hotspur winger Arnaut Danjuma.
Ultimately, a Jorginho penalty and a stunning strike from teenager Ethan Nwaneri turned the game around still in the first half and made the crucial difference. Cristhian Stuani had a late would-be equaliser ruled offside, while Raheem Sterling missed a penalty in stoppage time.
|
Player |
Rating |
|---|---|
|
GK: Pau Lopez |
7.7/10 |
|
RB: Arnau Martinez |
6.4/10 |
|
CB: Antal Yaakobishvili |
6.4/10 |
|
CB: Juanpe (c) |
7.2/10 |
|
LB: Alejandro Frances |
6.0/10 |
|
CM: Ivan Martin |
6.9/10 |
|
CM: Oriol Romeu |
6.7/10 |
|
RM: Yaser Asprilla |
6.4/10 |
|
AM: Viktor Tsyhankov |
6.4/10 |
|
LM: Arnaut Danjuma |
7.7/10 |
|
ST: Abel Ruiz |
6.1/10 |
|
SUB: Cristhian Stuani (57′ for Ruiz) |
5.9/10 |
|
SUB: Jhon Solis (57′ for Asprilla) |
6.1/10 |
|
SUB: Yangel Herrera (57′ for Romeu) |
6.1/10 |
|
SUB: Donny van de Beek (68′ for Tsyhankov) |
6.1/10 |
|
SUB: Cristian Portu (68′ for Martin) |
6.0/10 |
Subs not used: Paulo Gazzaniga (GK), Jordi Danso (GK), Oriol Comas, Kim Min-su, Ricard Artero, Selvi Clua, Bojan Miovski.
|
Player |
Rating |
|---|---|
|
GK: Neto |
5.6/10 |
|
RB: Thomas Partey |
7.2/10 |
|
CB: Jakub Kiwior |
6.9/10 |
|
CB: Gabriel |
6.6/10 |
|
LB: Riccardo Calafiori |
7.6/10 |
|
CM: Martin Odegaard (c) |
7.5/10 |
|
CM: Jorginho |
7.8/10 |
|
CM: Mikel Merino |
7.6/10 |
|
RW: Ethan Nwaneri |
7.7/10 |
|
ST: Leandro Trossard |
7.9/10 |
|
LW: Raheem Sterling |
6.9/10 |
|
SUB: Jurrien Timber (46′ for Partey) |
6.9/10 |
|
SUB: Myles Lewis-Skelly (70′ for Calafiori) |
6.6/10 |
|
SUB: Kai Havertz (70′ for Trossard) |
6.4/10 |
|
SUB: Declan Rice (82′ for Jorginho) |
N/A |
|
SUB: Gabriel Martinelli (87′ for Nwaneri) |
N/A |
Subs not used: Tommy Setford (GK), Jack Porter (GK), Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko, William Saliba, Salah Oulad M’Hand, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji.
