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Arsenal needed talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to come to their rescue as they produced a thrilling comeback to defeat Benfica in their Round of 32 UEFA Europa League fixture. The visitors led 2-1 on the hour mark, only for the Gunners to score a winner in the final minutes and break Portuguese hearts.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring for Arsenal in the 21st minute with an extremely well-taken goal. He ran on to Bukayo Saka's pass and dinked the ball over the onrushing Helton Leite in the Benfica goal.
Arsenal controlled the rest of the first half, restricting their opponents to the odd counter-attack, only to suffer a sucker punch in the 43rd minute. Diogo Goncalves picked the perfect moment to score his first Benfica goal as he guided a delicious free kick into the top corner, leaving Bernd Leno with no chance.
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Dani Ceballos conceded the free kick for Benfica's opening goal, and the Spaniard made another error for the Portuguese side's second. A backwards header from a long ball fell to Rafa Silva and he waltzed past Leno to score Benfica's second goal.
Arsenal needed to score twice in 29 minutes to avoid crashing out, and Kieran Tierney swiftly reduced the arrears with a hammer of a shot into the bottom corner in the 67th minute.
The match was finely poised going into the final minutes. Up stepped Saka, who delivered a peach of a cross to Aubameyang at the far post. The Gabonese striker made no mistake from close range and handed Arsenal their winner.
Benfica came close in injury time as they hit the post from a cross, although the player in question looked offside. The Gunners did manage to hold on and progress to the pre-quarterfinals after a thrilling night in Greece.
On that note, here are the five major talking poings from the Europa League game between Arsenal and Benfica.
#1 Aubameyang atones for his first leg performance
Perhaps the enduring memory of Arsenal's 'away' leg in Rome was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang guiding the ball wide of goal when faced with a relatively open net. It came to haunt the Gunners as Mikel Arteta's side came away with a draw in a game they ought to have won.
Those memories were swiftly put to bed in the 21st minute as Aubameyang timed his run to perfection and chipped the ball past the keeper from a narrow angle. The run for the winner displayed his predatory instincts, which would've come as no surprise to his partner-in-crime, Bukayo Saka.
The popular opinion is that Aubemeyang is suffering his worst season in an Arsenal shirt, but the striker now leads the list of goal involvements for the club this season with fourteen.
Whatever Arsenal are to achieve this season, one can be sure that Aubameyang's contribution will be crucial one. He is their best player and almost always comes to the fore in big games.
#2 Benfica were disappointing despite coming close
It's been an unhappy return to Portugal for Jorge Jesus after his heroics with Flamengo, but for moments in this game, the Benfica boss could dream. His team wasn't particularly impressive in either game - a penalty, free-kick and profiting from some calamitous defending were hardly hallmarks of an expensively assembled squad.
Darwin Nunez and Rafa Silva were bright spots in what was a mediocre performance, but there's little Jorge Jesus can glean from this game. Arsenal aren't the force they once were, and Benfica did have the quality to offer much more than they did over the 180 minutes of this game.
Benfica were minutes away from a famous win, only to suffer heartbreak. It's an emotion Jesus is familiar with, and he knows how to bounce back. The league is long gone, but a domestic cup semifinal against Estoril ought to still present a way to salvage this season.
#3 Bukayo Saka is a gem
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may be Arsenal's talisman and best player, but Bukayo Saka is a very, very close second. The precocious youngster displayed maturity beyond his years yet again in a virtouso performance deserving of the Man of the Match trophy.
The two assists and his telepathic understanding with Aubameyang are obvious feathers in a well-decorated hat. But it was Saka's relentless running even when Arsenal were 2-1 down and staring at defeat that spoke volumes.
The 19-year-old has a big heart married to big talent - he's a Champions League player playing in the Europa League. If Arsenal surround him with the right talent, a return to Europe's premier competition is on the cards sooner rather than later.
#4 Arsenal's defence are a mystery unto themselves
11th placed Arsenal have the third best defence in the Premier League as things stand, and yet the Gunners remain bafflingly likely to concede whenever they take the pitch.
This game was a perfect microcosm of the manner in which Arsenal concede. Arteta's men seem to have control over proceedings only for misfortune to befail them with startling regularity.
Dani Ceballos could hardly have predicted Diogo Goncalves' peach of a free kick when he stuck an errant leg out to trip him up. But the Spaniard uncharacteristically tried a risky backwards header in the build-up to Benfica's second goal.
These aren't situations that point to defensive failings per se, given that they're unlikely to be repeated. Yet if Arsenal are to achieve their UEFA Europa League ambitions, they need to shore up their backline sooner rather than later.
#5 Mikel Arteta deserves more time
Mikel Arteta was three minutes away from facing some very tough questions regarding his future at the club. Crashing out to a struggling Benfica side when the club have UEFA Champions League ambitions would have had the fans turn on him further.
Yet, there are promising signs to be seen if one looks beyond the results. Arsenal do have a backbone about them now, with this group of players ready to fight for the shirt and their manager.
In his post-match press conference, Arteta praised Dani Ceballos' commitment on a night when the Spaniard certainly would need all the encouragement to deal with the inevitable online abuse from the flocks of 'fans'.
This is the sign of a manager not fazed by his side's poor league standing, and there are tangible improvements on the pitch as well. Arsenal need to persist with Arteta, even if their UEFA Europa League campaign comes unstuck.
