Atletico Madrid 1-0 Arsenal: 3 things the Gunners got wrong

There will be no European swansong for Arsene Wenger, who saw his side dumped out as Diego Costa struck to put Atletico Madrid into the Europa League final, against Marseille.

On a night where it was imperative for them to score, the Gunners scampered around like headless chickens despite having more of the possession. The defence, on the other hand, was woeful and conceded to the home side in similarly lubberly fashion.

Arsenal failed to deal with a lofted pass from Jan Oblak that Antoine Griezmann latched on to and sent a through ball to Costa, who easily beat Hector Bellerin before rifling into the back of the net.

The visitors then huffed and puffed in search of an equaliser, but the Rojiblancos held firm. A euphoric Diego Simeone burst into thunderous fist-pumps, as he'll now compete in a third European final in five years.

Here's what Arsenal got wrong.

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#1 Too much possession, too little creativity

Arsenal's creative juices ran dry

When a team is dominant on the ball, they have to create something out of it. Possession will mean nothing if otherwise. That's a lesson Arsenal were taught from the first-leg when they enjoyed 76% of the ball, yet salvaged only a draw. Away from home, when they boasted another 55% of the ball, it was clear they didn't learn anything from it.

The passes appeared laboured and bereft of any ingenuity. The visitors drove forward time and again in numbers, but lacked any sense of purpose. The statistics of having registered only one shot on target on the night is a testament to Arsenal's ineffectiveness going forward.

Even the likes of Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan appeared devoid of ideas. So keeping more possession ultimately proved futile.

#2 Failure to address defensive malaise

On a night of defensive errors, Monreal stuck out like a sore thumb

Arsenal, in the first leg, were a disaster waiting to happen. Lackadaisical defending portended an unfavorable result, and by the end of the game, it proved to be. Griezmann made the most of a poor showing at the back to snatch an important equaliser.

In the second leg, the Gunners were once again very abject and got too many things wrong. They failed to clear the ball on multiple occasions, whilst also leaving acres of space at the back; Atletico's goal was a result of the same.

When Griezmann laid the ball for Costa, the space between Mustafi and Bellerin was astonishing. There was no one to intercept the ball and Costa easily got the better of Bellerin too. Nacho Monreal was a calamity down the left flank.

Arsenal parted like the red sea in another horrible defensive showing. What's only more bewildering is the scoreline not being greater than 1-0.

#3 Listless final balls inside the box

The crosses inside the box were frustratingly poor

While Arsenal did manage to get in and around the final third on a handful of occasions, the final pass left a lot to be desired. Indecisiveness and wayward crosses left many chances go begging.

The first such occasion transpired as early as the fifth minute, when Lacazette chose to cross to Wilshere while Welbeck was completely unmarked on the left side. Maybe the Frenchman tried to connect with the latter, but the effort lacked flair and was easily cleared by Partey.

Shortly after, Monreal received a clever through-ball from Chambers, but miscued the pass terribly while trying to set up Lacazette.

The French forward was again at the end of a cross right after the hour mark, but overhit the ball. Ozil and Bellerin too were guilty of some poor crosses, and Monreal once again wasted a chance when he clumsily shot at Partey, while Ramsey was waiting unchallenged behind him.