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.
Substitutes
Henrikh Mkhitaryan 7
Mkhitaryan ended up playing two-thirds of the match thanks to Ramsey’s injury, and it was a much better appearance than his poor showing against Watford. The 30-year-old was involved in the build-up of a few nice moves, including the one that resulted in Arsenal’s free-kick goal.
Mohamed Elneny 6
Elneny came on to do exactly what we’ve come to expect of him. He helped Arsenal keep possession in midfield, without misplacing a single one of his passes, but he didn’t really do much else, in terms of creating chances or contributing defensively.
Alex Iwobi 7
As soon as Iwobi came on he became the go-to out ball for Arsenal, as they just gave it to him to run upfield. He didn’t make a particularly large amount happen, particularly as the Gunners weren’t too keen to throw people forward to support him by that stage. Still, he played his role well.