No Hoop left now
Welbeck goal keeps Arsenal’s winning run going
DANNY WELBECK fired Arsenal one step closer to their longest-ever winning run.
But Unai Emery warned his players history is a long way off even after they made it 11 wins on the spin.
Welbeck’s 77th-minute strike maintained Group E leaders Arsenal’s 100 per cent start to their Europa League bid after three games. Three more wins would equal their best-ever streak of victories under George Graham in 1987.
They face Crystal Palace in the league on Sunday and Blackpool in the Carabao Cup next Wednesday – they could then match their record of 14 successive wins against Liverpool.
Emery said: “Three short of the all-time record? We are thinking only of the next one against Crystal Palace.
“We want to continue winning but we know we can lose at any moment.”
Emery admitted he SPORTING: ARSENAL: REFEREE:
GROUP E STANDINGS
P W D L F 3 3 0 0 8 3 2 0 1 4 3 1 0 2 4 3 0 0 3 0 Arsenal Sporting Vorskla FK Karabakh A 2 2 6 6 Pts 9 6 3 0 needed some strong words at half-time to spark his side into life. He said: “We could not impose our game early on but we had the opportunity to change the result in the second half. We need to be better in the first half.”
Emery played down a late flashpoint when Stephan Lichtsteiner appeared to be headbutted off the ball by former Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates, who escaped punishment.
He said: “I didn’t see it. Things happen on the pitch.”
Last night’s kick-off came just 67 hours after the final whistle in Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Leicester on Monday.
The quick turnaround made changes inevitable and Emery made six, with Granit Xhaka deployed as an emergency left-back.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan had Arsenal’s first attempt midway through the half from a free-kick after Mohamed Elneny had been tripped just outside the box.
Former Manchester United winger Nani gave Arsenal a scare with a 30-yarder that flew just over. And then Sokratis was a relieved man when he got away with tugging Fredy Montero’s shirt as the Sporting striker threatened to run clear.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tested keeper Renan Ribeiro twice and Welbeck was denied a certain goal by Andre Pinto’s last-ditch block.
Welbeck then had a header chalked off after he was adjudged to have climbed on Bruno Gaspar to reach Lichtsteiner’s cross.
But there was nothing wrong in the 77th minute when he latched on to sub Lucas Torreira’s pass to bury his fifth goal of the season. GROUP B from Red Bull Arena CELTIC’S Europa League hopes took another bruising in a 2-0 defeat at the Red Bull Arena.
A makeshift Hoops side missing several top stars were punished for defensive lapses, first on the half-hour mark by striker Matheus Cunha and again minutes later by attacker Bruma, before RB cruised the second half.
Brendan Rodgers’ men have three points from nine and host Leipzig – who have six points – next month in a must-win match to preserve any hope of qualifying from Group B.
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