ARSENAL have picked up a crucial away goal at Villarreal in an enthralling tie which saw both sides finish with ten men.
Manu Trigueros gave the hosts an early lead before Raul Albiol tapped in a second from a corner.
And things then went from bad to worse with Dani Ceballos SENT OFF after receiving a second yellow card.
But Nicolas Pepe then converted a penalty for Arsenal before Etienne Capoue was sent off for the hosts.
THAT’S ALL FROM VILLARREAL
Villarreal beat Arsenal for the first time ever with a score of 2-1 at the Estadio de la Ceramica, but the Gunners are still very much alive in this Europa League semi-final tie.
The Yellow Submarine opened the scoring after only five minutes when Samuel Chukwueze dribbled past Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka down the right flank before passing to Manu Trigueros, whose powerful shot went between Thomas Partey’s legs and beat Bernd Leno.
Unai Emery’s men doubled their lead on 29 minutes when a sublime corner-kick by Dani Parejo found Gerard Moreno and a back header sent the ball to captain Raul Albiol, whose close-range effort went to the back of Leno’s net.
The Gunners thought they got a penalty at the closing stages of first half when Nicolas Pepe was fouled by Juan Foyth inside the box but VAR found that the ball bounced off the winger’s arm in the build-up.
Things went from bad to worse for the north Londoners in the second half when Ceballos was sent off after 57 minutes as he was booked with a second yellow card.
But Arsenal’s luck changed soon after when Bukayo Saka was brought down by Trigueros inside the box and Pepe got the away goal from the penalty spot on 73 minutes.
It all got even on the pitch soon after when Etienne Capoue was also sent off due to a rough challenge on Saka after 80 minutes.
The returning Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came close to an equaliser at the death but failed to beat Geronimo Rulli one on one.
That’s all from us here at Villarreal, have a lovely night!
EMERY AND TRIGUEROS REACT ON PENALTY
Villarreal manager Unai Emery and player Manu Trigueros discussed the penalty Bukayo Saka got and led to Nicolas Pepe’s goal.
And both of them are not happy with the referee’s decision.
Emery said: “It was a penalty that was not a penalty. VAR should be able to give justice in what is such a clear situation”
Trigueros added: “Every time I see it it looks less of a penalty. It’s incredible that VAR didn’t intervene”
GETTY IMAGES ARTETA REACTS
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is satisfied with the result, based on how things transpired, praised Bernd Leno for his performance between the sticks and is confident the Gunners will go through if they show their true potential at the Emirates.
Arteta said: “Yeah, of course we didn’t want to come here and lose but after the way the game developed you have to take the result. We started to be us, in the first half there were so many moments where we weren’t us.
“Yeah he [Leno] was very good when we needed him at 2-0. He saved us and at the end we had a big chance with Auba [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang] but we weren’t able to equalise.
“I am confident if we are us we are going to have a chance to win”
GETTY IMAGES
SAKA REACTS
Arsenal ace Bukayo Saka was critical of the first half but pleased with the second-half performance, which he believes gives them a “chance” ahead of the return fixture at the Emirates:
Saka told BT Sport: “There’s a lot of positives from the second half but to start a Europa League semi-final like this, it’s impossible to have a chance of scoring.
“We didn’t create anything, we lost every duel, we was passive. It’s really frustrating to look back on it.
“I’m just happy that in the second half we picked ourselves up, we got a good chance and we managed to score. We’ve given ourselves a chance at the Emirates.
“In the second half, we definitely showed that we are better than them and even with 10 men we were dominating them. When we play properly we can beat anyone”
GETTY IMAGES NAI-KING HISTORY
Villarreal manager Unai Emery has made history at the expense of his former club Arsenal.
Emery has led the Yellow Submarine to their first ever victory over the Gunners after four failed attempts.
Arsenal and Villarreal’s first ever encounter took place in 2006 during the Champions League’s semi-final stage, which saw the Gunners going through to the final thanks to a 1-0 victory at Highbury and a goalless draw in the return fixture at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
The two teams faced off again three years later in the Champions League quarter-finals when the north Londoners again bested the LaLiga outfit thanks to a 3-0 win at the Emirates after a 1-1 draw in Spain
GETTY IMAGES ELSEWHERE…
Manchester United made a giant leap towards the Europa League final as they thrashed Roma with a score of 6-2 at Old Trafford.
Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring for United after only nine minutes but Lorenzo Pellegrini equalised just six minutes later.
Former Manchester City star Edin Dzeko gave the visitors the lead on 33 minutes.
But the Red Devils came back stronger in the second half and got two goals thanks to Edinson Cavani within 16 minutes.
Fernandes also completed a brace from the penalty spot before Paul Pogba and Mason Greenwood also got on the scoresheet and appeared to have put the tie to bed.
Therefore, Villarreal and Arsenal are looking at a final that will most likely include United
GETTY IMAGES WHAT’S NEXT?
Arsenal and Villarreal are going to lock horns again next week on Thursday at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners are going to need at least one goal and if they win 1-0 then they will go through on away goals rules.
However, if the Yellow Submarine hit the back of the net then the north Londoners will need at least two goals to take the game to extra time.
Based on what we saw tonight, this could really go either way and Arsenal have work to do…
GETTY IMAGES STATS
Arsenal dominated 52.9 per cent of possession throughout the encounter.
The Gunners registered a total of nine shots but only two of them were on target, both of which took place in the second half.
Villarreal, on the other hand, also got nine shots, six of which were on target.
The north Londoners absolutely dominated in the air as they won a whopping 81.3 per cent of aerial duels
FT: VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
Villarreal defeated Arsenal at the Estadio de la Ceramica but the Gunners are very much alive in this tie thanks to their away goal.
The Yellow Submarine opened the scoring after just five minutes when Samuel Chukwueze dribbled past Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos down the right flank before passing to Manu Trigueros, whose powerful shot went between Thomas Partey’s legs and behind Bernd Leno’s net.
Unai Emery’s men got a second on 29 minutes when Dani Parejo’s sublime corner from the left found Gerard Moreno, who headed the ball backwards and found captain Raul Albiol whose close-range effort beat Leno.
The Gunners thought they had a penalty in the closing stages of the first half when Nicolas Pepe was brought down by Juan Foyth inside the box but VAR showed the ball bouncing off the winger’s arm in the build-up.
Things went from bad to worse for the north Londoners in the second half as Ceballos was sent off with a second yellow card.
But that didn’t stop Arsenal from getting the away goal as Trigueros brought Bukayo Saka down inside the box and Pepe converted from the penalty spot after 73 minutes.
Etienne Capoue was sent off following a rough challenge on Saka and the returning Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang failed to equalise after he couldn’t beat Geronimo Rulli one on one at the death
GETTY IMAGES PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
AND THAT’S FULL-TIME AT VILLARREAL!!!!!
VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
90+5 SUBSTITUTION
Arsenal boss Arteta makes his last changes as Willian and Elneny replace Pepe and Smith Rowe respectively
VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
90+5 WHAT A CHANCE!
Aubameyang comes extremely close to an equaliser.
The Arsenal star picks up the ball inside the box and fires a shot that forces an important save from Rulli
VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
90+3 CHANCE!
Villarreal are trying hard for a third as Coquelin whips in a cross to Gerard whose header just misses Leno’s crossbar.
The hosts complained for a hand ball by Xhaka inside the box but the replay shows that the ball hit the Arsenal ace’s sleeve
VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
90 Five more minutes of added time to go.
Arsenal have brought the tie down to a manageable situation.
But Villarreal are pushing for a third
VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
90 YELLOW CARD
Aubameyang gets booked just a few minutes after his return as he catches Albiol’s leg
VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
87 Capoue got injured after fouling Saka in midfield.
The Villarreal star couldn’t continue and saw a red card as he was stretchered out
GETTY IMAGES VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
84 SUBSTITUTION
Arteta brings Aubameyang back after his recent bout with malaria.
The Arsenal star contracted the diseas while on international duty and missed four games.
The star striker replaces Saka, who got the penalty
VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
83 Foyth enjoyed a brilliant performance against Arsenal.
But the Tottenham loanee couldn’t see this through due to an injury he suffered in the second half.
The Villarreal ace appeared to have pulled a muscle during a run
GETTY IMAGES VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
81 SUBSTITUTION
Emery makes a double change after Capoue’s dismissal!
Gomez and former Liverpool player Moreno (Alberto, that is) replace Pedraza and Trigueros respectively
VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
80 RED CARD!
The tide has really turned on this one!
Capoue is shown a red card after his hard clash with Saka.
The Villarreal star can’t continue anyway and sees the card as he is stretchered out of the pitch.
Things are now even on the pitch
VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
79 What a difference 15 minutes can make in a match.
Ceballos was sent off with a second yellow and made it look like the tie was slipping away from Arsenal’s fingers.
But then the Gunners got a penalty and scored with Pepe
GETTY IMAGES GETTY IMAGES VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
77 Arsenal have been very dangerous after Pepe’s goal and are pushing hard for a second even though they are a man down.
Saka is brought down by Capoue, who is on a yellow card but the referee doesn’t seem set to book him again.
Saka gets back up but Capoue is down after the clash
VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
75 We told you Pepe has been on fire in the Europa League as he had been involved in the joint-highest number of goals in the competition.
Now the Arsenal star has been involved in the HIGHEST number of goals
VILLARREAL 2-1 ARSENAL
73 Pepe takes on the penalty kick and sends it right down the middle!
Rulli’s feet did get a touch but can’t make the save.
The Gunners get their away goal and change the complexion of the tie
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
