Gunners find way through
AT THE EMIRATES ❑ RANGERS slipped to third spot in Group G after a 4-3 defeat at Spartak Moscow. It was a first loss in 12 Europa League games for Steven Gerrard’s side.
Celtic are level on points with second-placed RB Leipzig in Group B after beating the Germans 2-1. the day he had been named in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the forthcoming international double-header against the USA and Croatia having scored five goals already despite a limited run up front for the Gunners this season.
Knee and cartilage injuries had robbed him of 70 games between May 2015 and January 2017, and all those injury nightmares were revisited in what looked at first an innocuous enough challenge for the ball in the 26th minute.
Welbeck jumped alongside Bruno Gaspar near the penalty spot and appeared to land badly, twisting his right foot completely back on itself. The stretcher was called for and there was discomfort etched on the face of team-mate Matteo Guendouzi as he looked on while the seven-man medical team administered what appeared to be oxygen and painkillers to the stricken 27-year-old and he was helped off the field with his right foot heavily braced.
Replacement Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had scored four goals in his three substitute appearances previously this summer and Sporting Lisbon looked there for the taking.
Youth-team manager Tiago Fernandes is in charge as caretaker until the club can strike a deal with Al Jazira coach Marcel Keizer, who, if reports are to be believed, is shortly set to become the club’s fourth manager since June.
Yet Arsenal found it hard to penetrate the away defence and when Stephan Lichtsteiner could not quite reach Aubameyang’s cross in an inevitably extensive first-half injury-time, it was about as close as the Premier League side came in the opening period.
Having cruised through their first three games, there was a sense that Arsenal needed to see this group off properly, and Unai Emery looked increasingly frustrated on the touchline as he urged his players on in the second half.
Instead, there was just more injury woe as Lichtsteiner pulled up sharply with what looked like a badly strained hamstring.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang had low drives blocked in a final flurry that included the dismissal of Jeremy Mathieu for fouling Aubameyang on the edge of the area.
But Arsenal had to rely on news that Qarabag had secured an unlikely win over Vorskla Poltava to confirm their place in the final 32 with two group games to spare.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1):
ARSENAL (Q) SPORTING POLTAVA QARABAG P W D L 4 3 1 0 4 2 1 1 4 1 0 3 4 1 0 3 F 8 4 4 1
Booked:
A PTS 2 10 2 7 7 3 6 3