Gunners go through but Toffees out

Draw enough for Arsenal, while defeat spells end of Everton’s campaign

ARSENAL 0 RED STAR BELGRADE 0

Arsenal booked their place in the knockout stages of the Europa League despite a drab goalless draw at home to Red Star Belgrade.

With Arsene Wenger continuing his policy of completely rotating his Premier League side for this competition, the Gunners were toothless as the visitors wasted the best chances of a forgettable contest at the Emirates Stadium.

Jack Wilshere, who failed to prove a point to England manager Gareth Southgate following his omission from the latest Three Lions squad, came closest to winning it for the hosts only to see a second-half effort superbly cleared off the line by Damien Le Tallec.

Wenger’s changed outfit, featuring the likes of Wilshere, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott, had won their three Group H games leading into this tie.

A point against the Serbia SuperLiga side proved to be enough to assure them of a place in next month’s draw as Cologne beat BATE Borisov in the group’s other game.

The final whistle was greeted by some jeers, and relief, by the home fans as the Red Star bench celebrated a point which keeps their own hopes alive.

LYON 3 EVERTON 0

Managerless Everton crashed out of the Europa League with two Group E games left to play as they were beaten 3-0 at Lyon.

Former Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore, who had netted the winner in Lyon’s 2-1 victory at Goodison Park a fortnight ago, opened the scoring midway through the second half, before substitute Houssem Aouar and former Manchester United man and Everton transfer target Memphis Depay wrapped things up.

The 80th minute dismissal of Morgan Schneiderlin, following a second yellow card, capped a miserable night for the Toffees.

The defeat was Everton’s fifth in a row in all competitions.

Combined with Atalanta’s 1-1 draw at Apollon Limassol, the result means the rock-bottom Toffees cannot reach the last 32.

Three of the losses have come since Ronald Koeman’s sacking.

Although the caretaker boss David Unsworth has made it clear that he would like the position full-time, the results so far are not strengthening his position.

Results

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE Group A: Maccabi Tel-Aviv 0 Astana 1 Slavia Prague 0 Villarreal 2 Group B: Partizan Belgrade 2 Skenderbeu 0 Young Boys 0 Dynamo Kiev 1 Group C: Istanbul Basaksehir 1 TSG Hoffenheim 1 Ludogorets 1 Braga 1 Group D: AEK Athens 0 AC Milan 0 Rijeka 1 Austria Vienna 4 Group E: Apollon Limassol 1 Atalanta 1 Lyon 3 Everton 0 Group F: FC Copenhagen 3 Fastav Zlin 0 Lokomotiv Moscow 1 Sheriff 2 Group G: FCSB 1 Hapoel Beer Sheva 1 Plzen 4 Lugano 1 Group H: Arsenal 0 Red Star Belgrade 0 Cologne 5 BATE 2 Group I: Guimaraes 1 Marseille 0 Red Bull Salzburg 0 Konyaspor 0 Group J: Athletic Bilbao 1 Ostersunds 0 Hertha Berlin 2 Zorya 0 Group K: Lazio 1 Nice 0 Vitesse 0 Zulte-Waregem 2 Group L: Real Sociedad 3 Vardar 0 Rosenborg 1

Zenit St Petersburg 1

Picture: PA. Theo Walcott has a shot. Arsenal failed to find the net, but a draw was good enough to put them through.