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Arsenal managed six wins out of six in the Europa League and completed their group stage campaign with a 4-2 win over Dundalk at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Goals from Eddie Nketiah and Mohamed Elneny in the first 20 minutes seemed to put the visitors on their way to an easy victory, but the Irish team rebounded in the 22nd minute thanks to an excellent goal from midfielder Jordan Flores.
Joe Willock, but Arsenal took control of the proceedings again in the 67th minute when he shot through Gary Rogers into Dundalk’s goal to make it 3-1, before substitute Folarin Balogun secured the points when he hid the pass from Nicolas Pepe 13 minutes later.
But the hosts plugged in and scored a well-deserved second goal when Sean Hoare stepped between two defenders to head in with a massive header that edged Runar Runarsson to complete the score.
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Positive
The Gunners were not at their best at any point in the game, but two very well scored goals in the first 18 minutes gave the Irish a considerable mountain to climb.
Highlights
- Europa League round of 32 draw: seeded, date, details of the Arteta round in Aubameyang: no one ‘inescapable’ Mourinho shows the Tottenham-Arsenal gulf, Bayern and Leipzig entertain, Manchester United needs consistency
2 Related negatives
The visitors really should have had this game stitched in the first half, but they took their foot off the gas after 20 minutes and could have easily found themselves tied at 2-2 at halftime.
Second, several fringe players failed to tell Mikel Arteta that they deserve more minutes in the Premier League.
Manager qualifications
6 – It’s tough to come out of a game like this with a lot of credit, but Arteta got the job done with a rotated team that wasn’t anywhere near their best.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players submitted after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Runar Runarsson, 6 – There was nothing the Icelandic international could do to prevent Flores ‘effort from flying off, but he seemed a bit trapped by Hoares’ late header.
DF Cedric Soares, 7 – Somewhat unfortunate to be booked in the middle of the first half for participating in what seemed like a tough but fair duel for a loose ball. That said, the former Southampton man had a decent game and forced a couple of good saves from Rogers with efforts from distance.
DF Calum Chambers, 6 – The 25-year-old was making his first appearance in 12 months and had to be vigilant to block a goal-bound effort in first-half injury time that would have tied Dundalk’s level.
DF Shkodran Mustafi, 5 – A scraped punt provided a glimpse of a half-chance for Dundalk, before the German didn’t get close enough to Flores when the midfielder found room to shoot home from a distance.
DF Pablo Mari, 6 – A couple of loose passes, but that was to be expected with the Spaniard in his second season opener.
DF Ainsley Maitland-Niles, 6 – He got a good save from Rogers in the final stages of the first half with a curling effort from a distance, but had a relatively low-key night.
MF Joe Willock, 6 years old – The referee, somewhat pleased with the card, admonished the youngster in the 30th minute for an accidental hand to the face of a Dundalk man, but the midfielder pocketed a sixth Europa League goal for the Gunners when he shot home from short. distance. He started for Miguel Azeez in the 83rd minute.
MF Mohamed Elneny, 7 – He scored a brilliant goal from 30 yards to make it 2-0 in 20 minutes and was probably the strongest of Arsenal’s midfielders when out of possession. Changed by Dani Ceballos shortly after time.
Mohamed Elneny scored his first Arsenal goal in three years with a 30-yard strike against Dunalk. Photo by Michael P Ryan / Sportsfile via Getty Images
MF Emile Smith Rowe, 6 – He played his role in his team’s second when he moved inside and left the ball for Elneny to shoot home, but the 20-year-old was always on the sidelines of the game before being replaced by Ben Cottrell with 12 minutes to go. .
MF Nicolas Pepe, 6 – He couldn’t get out of 50-50 on the ball and the resulting move brought Dundalk back into the game. While the Ivorian struggled for big patches and seems lacking in confidence, he scores a “6” thanks to his assist for Arsenal’s fourth.
FW Eddie Nketiah, 7 – He opened the scoring in the 11th minute when he took advantage of a defensive error by the hosts, before delicately throwing the ball over the rushing goalkeeper. Replaced by Balogun in the 62nd minute.
Substitutions
FW Folarin Balogun, 7 – He showed good strength in the Dundalk area before providing the pass for Willock to finish 3-1 and completed Arsenal’s touchdown shortly after when clinically conceded home.
MF Dani Ceballos, 6 – Like many of his teammates, the Real Madrid loan had some sloppy moments in possession, but nothing to get into in a turn.
MF Ben Cottrell, N / R – He kept things tidy for the last 10 minutes or so.
MF Miguel Azeez, N / R – Quiet and composed on his Gunners debut.
Source: espn.co.uk
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