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After conceding a late away goal against Slavia Prague last week, Arsenal needed to score in this fixture to ensure they had a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League competition.
Within the opening 25 minutes, the Gunners put the ball in the back of the net four times.
Unfortunately, Emile Smith Rowe's effort was ruled out for an offside but his teammates Nicolas Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette and Bukayo Saka made no mistake by scoring three vital away goals in the first half.
Jindrich Trpisovsky tried to shake things up by introducing four substitutes after the break but his efforts were futile. The home team simply could not find a way past the North London club.
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Subsequently, Lacazette scored his second of the night to seal the result for the Gunners. With a 5-1 win on aggregate, Arsenal qualify for the semi-finals of the Europa League and here are five talking points from the match.
#5 Arsenal qualify for the semi-final without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
For the past couple of days, Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was said to be down with the flu by manager Mikel Arteta.
However, minutes before kickoff, the player himself confirmed that he had been in the hospital after coming down with malaria while on international duty with Gabon.
Without Aubameyang in the last two games, Arsenal have won at Bramall Lane for the first time since 1993 and condemned Slavia Prague to their first home defeat of the season.
Although Aubameyang does not seem to be missed at the moment, Arteta will surely hope that his captain returns to full fitness soon ahead of some crucial Premier League and Europa League games.
#4 Defensive partnership between Rob Holding and Pablo Mari
It was yet another clean sheet and victory for Arsenal's centre-back pairing of Rob Holding and Pablo Mari. The two defenders have played together just six times this season but already, fans can feel that there is a connection between the two.
Throughout the game, they offered stability at the back and complemented each other. Against a team like Slavia Prague who were on a 33-match unbeaten streak at home, Arteta made the right decision to name the duo in the starting lineup.
Costing just €8 million, Mari is certainly a worthy signing that Arsenal have made.
#3 Arsenal youngsters make their mark against Slavia Prague
Last week, BBC reported that without Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe in the starting eleven, Arsenal have won just 41% of their games. However, when the two youngsters started, the Gunners' win percentage massively increased to 67%.
Against their Czech Republic opponents, the duo were once again instrumental in Arsenal's victory.
Saka won 100% of his duels (4) in the first 45 minutes, while Smith Rowe now has the joint-most assists (7) for the North London side this season.
Given their superb performance, Martin Keown said on BT Sport:
“They’re the present & the future. They’re showing that tonight.”
#2 Alexandre Lacazette is becoming Arsenal's main man
It was another outstanding performance from Alexandre Lacazette, who has scored back-to-back braces; first against Sheffield United and now against Slavia Prague.
Although Aubameyang appears unable to find his scoring boots this season, Lacazette tops Arsenal's goalscoring chart with 13 goals in the Premier League. Furthermore, adding on to his goal against Rapid Vienna back in December 2020, the Frenchman has now netted thrice in the Europa League.
Lacazette, who turns 30 this summer, will become a free agent by June 2022 if he does not extend his contract with the Gunners.
Previously, Arteta said:
“The situation with Laca will get addressed in the summer. I will speak to him and just propose a future that we want and that’s it. Now I just want players focused and only focused on performing and getting the best out of them for the team.”
It remains to be seen whether the former Lyon striker will remain at Arsenal in the long term.
#1 Arsenal to face Unai Emery's Villarreal in Europa League semi-final
With Villarreal overcoming Dinamo Zagreb 3-1 on aggregate, Arsenal will be facing Unai Emery's side two weeks later on 29 April and 6 May.
It is going to be an awkward encounter considering the club's relationship with Emery did not end on a good note. The Spaniard was sacked after a series of poor results back in the 2019/20 season.
To be fair to the 49-year-old, Emery has won more points (88) than Arteta (78) after 51 Premier League games played. However, his relationship with the Arsenal players broke down and that marked the end of his managerial career in England.
Currently, Villarreal are 7th in the La Liga table while the Gunners are 9th and a far cry off UEFA Champions League qualification spots.
It will be Emery's first game back at the Emirates Stadium since his departure and the spotlight will be on Arsenal as they vie for European glory.
