After a disappointing performance away at Stamford Bridge and questions being asked surrounding his team, Mikel Arteta would have travelled to the south of Spain hoping for both a big result and statement performance against Sevilla. And although it was nervy at the end, The Gunners pulled through with a strong 1-2 win.
The Arsenal boss opted to stick with a similar XI to the one that started Saturday’s London derby, with the only change being Takehiro Tomiyasu coming in at left-back in place of Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Arsenal needed a strong start and almost got it as Gabriel Martinelli was sent through on goal with just the goalkeeper to bear, however he couldn’t quite find the finish. Tomiyasu also had an effort which went inches wide of the post and Mikel Arteta’s side controlled the majority of what was a fairly uneventful first half, with little being created bar the two chances The Gunners had. But in the very final moments of the first period, a Gabriel clearance was brought down well by Gabriel Jesus, and the forward turned brilliantly to put two Sevilla defenders out the game, and sent through Martinelli with a perfectly weighted pass. And this time the Brazilian calmy rounded the Sevilla goalkeeper and tapped home to give Arsenal a crucial 0-1 lead heading into the half-time break.
As the second half started, Arsenal came out flying, playing some exellent football and showing strong intent to get a second goal. And that’s exactly what they got as Jesus gave Arsenal a deserved 0-2 lead with a brilliant strike. The striker turned and cut inside onto his right foot on the left hand side of the Sevilla penalty area and struck his effort clinically into the far top corner.
However, Arsenal didn’t have a two-goal cushion for long as five minutes later, a Sevilla corner was not dealt with and a header was powered in from close range by Nemanja Gudelj to half the lead and give Sevilla hope.
The Spanish side pushed and pushed for an equaliser but Arsenal’s defence held firm, with the only real scare coming in the first minute of injury time when a cross was put into the Arsenal box, and a punch from David Raya went behind him and onto the roof of the net. The Gunners defended well and saw the game out to claim a big three points and reclaim top spot of the group.
Arsenal return to the premier league and Emirates stadium as they face Sheffield United in N5.
Player Ratings:
David Raya: 5 – Didn’t have much to do but almost made a late big mistake with a punch
Ben White: 6 – White has certainly had better games but he wasn’t poor
William Saliba: 7 – So calm and composed
Gabriel: 8 – Just so solid all afternoon
Takehiro Tomiyasu: 8 – Excellent both in possession and defensively
Jorginho: 6 – Went about his busniess ok
Declan Rice: 8 – Just so good again. Made a number of excellent runs through the midfield
Martin Odegaard: 6 – Better than Chelsea but still not quite at his best
Bukayo Saka: 6 – Similar to Odegaard, not quite at his best but ok
Gabriel Jesus: 8 – Two moments of magic that won Arsenal the game
Gabriel Martinelli: 7 – Scored a brilliant goal on his Champions League debut