Arsenal crash out of Europe after Villareal stalemate

Arsenal’s season just went from bad to worse in the space of 90 minutes after being knocked out of Europe by former manager Unai Emery. Arsenal’s entire season and short-term future was riding on this Europe League Semi-Final as it was their best route back to the Champions League but unfortunately for the Gunners, they failed to make the most of this opportunity. Arsenal struggled to break Villareal down at the Emirates and a 0-0 draw was enough for the Yellow Submarine to reach their first European final.

Arsenal trailed Villareal 2-1 from the first leg in Spain one week ago which meant they needed a win at the Emirates to qualify for their second Europa League final in three years. Arsenal suffered their first blow of the night shortly before kick-off as Granit Xhaka pulled up injured in the warm-ups and was replaced in the XI by Kieran Tierney who was returning after almost a month on the side-lines.

The Gunners had a cagey start to the game and curiously lacked the urgency needed from a team that needed to score to make a final of a European Competition. Their only real chance on goal in the opening 45 minutes came from their captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang who grazed the outside of the post with a shot from inside the box. Apart from that effort, Arsenal created very little of note in the first half and struggled to break through the lines of the well organised Villareal defence.

Arsenal started brightly in the second half with Nicholas Pepe’s shot flying inches wide off the post and Emile Smith Rowe’s chipped effort just evading the empty net. However, as the final whistle edged closer and closer, panic started to creep into the Arsenal ranks and the chances were few and far between. The telling blow came in the 80th minute when Pierre Emerick Aubameyang rose highest to meet Hector Bellerin’s cross with the ball hitting the inside of the post.

Curiously, this was the Arsenal captain’s final involvement in the game before he was replaced by Alexandre Lacazette with manager Mikel Arteta making some curious in-game decisions to the detriment of his team. Post this crushing defeat, the pressure is firmly on Mikel Arteta’s head to turn things around. Arteta has earned some credit in the bank with his FA Cup victory in 2020 but he has overseen one of Arsenal’s worst seasons in recent history. The North London club are set for their lowest league finish since 1995 and their first season outside of Europe for 25 years.

The Arsenal defeat is also vindication for their former manager Unai Emery who was sacked by the Arsenal hierarchy 18 months ago. This will be Emery’s 5th Europa League final since 2014 where he will take on Manchester United after they knocked out AS Roma in the other semi-final.