Arsenal overcame Napoli 1-0 in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final to reach the semis with an impressive 3-0 aggregate victory.
The Gunners went to Italy only needing to avoid a two-goal defeat, or a three-goal defeat if they managed to get on the scoresheet. However, the team took their destiny into their own hands by taking the lead through an Alexandre Lacazette free-kick in the first half.
With Napoli needing four, their confidence certainly appeared to take a knock. Though the hosts continued pushing for the opening goal to spark a comeback, Arsenal never really looked worried about that actually happening.
In the end, Unai Emery’s side kept their sixth clean sheet in seven games and set up a trip to Valencia in the semis. Let’s have a look at our player ratings for the clash.
Midfield and Wing-Backs
Ainsley Maitland-Niles 8
Maitland-Niles continued his positive recent form with another solid performance against Napoli. He had the highest pass accuracy of any starter, and he completed the most dribbles too, effectively getting Arsenal further up the field. He also tracked back well, making a couple of tackles and a couple of interceptions, as well as four clearances.
Lucas Torreira 6
Torreira made four interceptions, but he had a very quiet game otherwise. Unlike the previous week when he was a pivotal part of Arsenal’s first-leg victory, he didn’t have a major role to play this time.
Granit Xhaka 8
Fortunately for Torreira, he had Xhaka alongside him picking up the slack on this occasion. The two seem to cover for each other very well, and this time it was the Swiss international controlling the game for Arsenal in possession whilst also providing excellent defensive cover.
It’s good to have the Swiss international back. His performances have almost gone a little underrated this season, but it’s hard to ignore when he helps Arsenal finish a tie off like this.
Sead Kolasinac 7
Kolasinac was perhaps a little wasteful, getting into a few dangerous advanced positions only to end up losing possession. Nonetheless, he still provided a consistent outlet going forward and did create one good chance for his efforts. He also had a lot of defending to do, covering Monreal, which he did well.