Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Cool Blues easily Call the shots
Rennes star Hatem has last laugh in grudge match
HATEM BEN ARFA had the last laugh on Unai Emery on another night of Euro trash from 10-man Arsenal.
The former Newcastle winger was frozen out for 15 months by Emery at Paris Saint-germain, and last month launched a £7million lawsuit against the club for alleged loss of earnings and claiming “harassment in the workplace”.
But as lively Rennes put the Gunners to the sword here, Ben Arfa relished his old manager’s discomfort. He said: “My motivation was to play a solid match and put us in a good position, but I did see the same Emery – agitated as ever.
“I looked over to him a few times and that made me laugh a little. He hasn’t changed.”
Sokratis’ two bookings in the space of seven minutes before half-time swung the tie markedly in the home team’s favour.
Emery bristled at the suggestion three red cards in as many matches was undermining Arsenal’s run-in, but conceded the defender’s dismissal was a game-changer.
He said: “We controlled the first 40 minutes and scored, which is the first target, but after the red card we can’t control it.
“To lose 3-1 was hard, but we are going to start the second leg with 11 against 11 and the same respect for Rennes.” Rennes gave it the works – light show, flares, plastic flags and long queues in the club shop for half-and-half scarves. But within three minutes, the atmosphere at sold-out Roazhon Park briefly went flat.
Alex Iwobi’s cross from the left flank was speculative at best, but it caught keeper Tomas Koubek flat-footed and sneaked inside his far post.
For the next half hour, Arsenal were in the ascendancy. That changed with the departure of Sokratis. His first caution was harsh, his second – for tripping Ismaila Sarr – brought a red card for him and a goal for Rennes from the resulting freekick, Benjamin Bourigeaud thrashing in the rebound after his first effort bounced back off the wall.
Emery sacrificed Iwobi and playmaker Mesut Ozil (left) to stem the tide, but it needed Cech – back at the club where he played early in his career – to keep the score down. He denied Bourigeaud, Sarr and Ben Arfa (left) in quick succession.
But when Mehdi Zeffane’s cross deflected off Nacho Monreal’s hip, Cech was stranded. And two minutes from time the outstanding Sarr gave Rennes a two-goal cushion for the second leg with a flying header.