Arsenal comfortably saw off Sevilla 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium to put them in a commanding position to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Here’s five things we learned from the game…
Saka shakes off early challenges
Sevilla’s game plan was clear from the very first minute – stop Bukayo Saka at all costs even if that means fouling him, which they did at least four or five times in the opening 20 minutes. The referee opted to keep his cards in his pocket much to the dismay of the watching Arsenal fans, but Saka was unbothered by the special treatment he was receiving from Sevilla. The winger continued to get on the ball and drive at his opponent and it paid off for the opening goal, with Jorginho playing a wonderful ball inside the full-back for Saka to latch on to and tee up Leandro Trossard for an easy finish.
Arsenal’s star boy then got on the scoresheet himself in the second half with a fine piece of skill to cut inside and finish past Marko Dmitrovic. Saka’s resilience is one of his most crucial and impressive qualities. There will be concern for him ahead of the game against Burnley on Saturday, however, after he was forced off late on through injury.
Odegaard absence notable in first half
Arsenal were good value for their victory and dominated Sevilla in terms of possession, passes and chances, but if there was to be one criticism of the performance then it’s that they did not turn the amount of play they had into enough clear cut opportunities, particularly in the first half.
That is more understandable given one of Arsenal’s primary creators in captain Martin Odegaard again missed out through injury, and his ability to link midfield and attack would no doubt have been of benefit to Arsenal against Sevilla and perhaps could have helped them to kill the game of sooner against a poor opposition.
Jorginho becoming an important player for Arteta
Embed from Getty ImagesWith Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard both out through injury, Jorginho has found himself getting more opportunity in the team and impressed against Sevilla. As the deepest midfielder, he was pivotal in helping his side retain possession and pass Sevilla to death, and showed his quality with a beautiful ball to send Saka away to set up Trossard for the first goal. Having won the Champions League before with Chelsea, Jorginho’s experience is proving to be crucial for Arsenal in the competition too.
Sevilla were woeful
Arsenal deserve a lot of credit for the way they went about the game and the professionalism of their performance, but it must be said that Sevilla caused them almost no problems. The Spanish side did not have a shot until the last minute of the game, with Raya making a comfortable save. The Europa League specialists are in real danger of dropping out of Europe altogether this season.
Trossard leads the line admirably
Embed from Getty ImagesArsenal were facing somewhat of an injury crisis up front heading into the game with both Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah out injured. Arteta could have opted for Havertz in the position, who played as a striker consistently for Chelsea last season, but instead opted to move Trossard centrally and use Havertz as a midfielder. The Belgian did a good job, getting on the scoresheet in the first half and worked incredibly hard for his team, pressing the Sevilla defence to force mistakes and win the ball back. It is perhaps not a long-term solution for Arteta but Trossard is certainly capable of doing a job there if need be, and the Arsenal fans showed their appreciation for the work he put in when he was subbed off late in the game.
