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Arsenal put on a show by welcoming 2,000 fans to the Emirates Stadium with a 4-1 win over Rapid Vienna in the Europa League.
Nine months after the last time they were allowed to have fans on the field, they were given access to 2,000 spectators following new government guidelines and offered another excellent performance by the Gunners in the Europa League.
Goals from Alexandre Lacazete (10) Pablo Mari (21) and Eddie Nketiah (44) delighted the Arsenal fans as Mikel Arteta’s went 3-0 at half-time.
Koya Kitagawa’s goal just after the restart clouded the mood at Emirates Stadium for a brief moment, but substitute Emile Smith-Rowe sent fans home happy as Arsenal kept their record of 100% in the Europe. League this season.
The win ensures that the Gunners finish atop Group B with one game, a trip to Dundalk next Thursday, to play and head to Sunday’s North London derby against Tottenham, live on Sky Sports, on top. .
Sunday, December 6 4:15 pm
Start 4:30 pm
How Arsenal entertained their returning fans …
It wasn’t long before the Arsenal fans celebrated their first goal.
Arteta’s team took the lead at 10 minutes, Lacazette accelerating a shot from 30 meters to provoke passionate celebrations from the players and the fans.
They were celebrating again soon after, when Mari marked her return from injury by heading a corner kick from Reiss Nelson past Richard Strebinger for his first Arsenal goal.
Arsenal extended their lead just before halftime when Nketiah completed a beautiful Arsenal play, heading into the bottom corner after Strebinger had done it brilliantly to avoid his initial effort.
The visitors silenced home fans minutes after the break, Kitagawa fired after Alex Runarsson made a good save and Sead Kolasinac made two last minute blocks to keep the visitors at bay.
The mood soon picked up again when substitute Smith-Rowe finished another good play from Arsenal, turning Nketiah’s cut into an empty net.
It completed an excellent night of work for Arteta’s men, who booked their place in the round of 16 as Group B winners.
What Arteta said …
Arsenal Chief Mikel Arteta: “First of all, delighted to have the fans back, they make a big difference. They were loud, they were very supportive of the team and they were so helpful, so thank you to them for coming and putting in the effort.
“The performance, from the beginning, the boys wanted it, the defeat of the previous game hurt them and they showed the attitude and the desire that is required to play. We were very aggressive with the ball, we wanted to put the ball in the area, we arrived in numbers, we created many occasions and now we have another one on Sunday.
Man of the match – Alexandre Lacazette
Lacazette drew attention in a deeper role against Rapid Vienna. He was at the center of many of the good things about Arsenal’s game and put himself on the scoreboard.
He is only the eighth player to score 20 goals in the Europa League, and his first goal is only the third in competition from outside the box.
It was also his first goal for Arsenal in 488 minutes in all competitions, which will be a huge boost to his confidence.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said of Lacazette’s performance: “He played a good game in that position. It looks good on him. He is very good at linking the game, he worked hard and scored a beautiful goal.”
Eight statistics – Arsenal’s perfect Europa League record continues
- Arsenal have won each of their first five games of a season in major European competitions (excluding playoffs) for only the second time, having last done so in the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League, reaching the final that season.
- Rapid Wien have lost four of their five away matches against English teams in Europe (G1), with a total of 13 goals in those matches.
- Arsenal have scored more than 3 goals in four consecutive European games for the first time since March 2000, en route to the UEFA Cup final that season.
- Pablo Marí scored his first goal at Arsenal with his first shot on goal for the Gunners and only his second attempt overall (fourth appearance in all competitions).
- Eddie Nketiah’s 16 goals in his senior career at the club have been scored from inside the box (11 for Arsenal, 5 for Leeds).
What’s next for Arsenal?
Arsenal returns to action in Super sunday with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to face North London rivals Tottenham, live Sky sports.
They will then travel to Ireland to face Dundalk next Thursday when they finish their Europa League group stage campaign.
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