ARSENAL LIVING HIGHLIFE
Deadly Danny sinks Sporting to make it 11 on the spin for Emery
This makes it an incredible 11 wins in 11 games for Arsenal as the Unai Emery juggernaut just keeps powering on. After years of malaise under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal are back. And they are back with a vengeance.
The win in Lisbon was not easy on the eye, unlike the free- flowing football that destroyed Leicester City on Monday night.
But it was a gutsy, resilient display, one we have not seen from an Arsenal side since Patrick Vieira, Tony Adams et al ruled the roost in north London.
Would Arsenal have won this scrappy affair if Wenger was still in charge? Possibly they would, but under Emery they look far more equipped to slum it and still find a way to emerge victorious.
Against sporting it was Danny Welbeck who took the acclaim, firing home in the second half to maintain Arsenal’s 100 per cent start to their Europa League campaign.
Barring a collapse in their final three group games, they are as good as qualified for the knockout stages.
The way Arsenal are responding to Emery’s tutelage suggests such a calamity will not be forthcoming.
After the highs of the rip-roaring display against Leicester, whatever came next would be something of an anti-climax — and so it proved with only one shot on target in the first half from henrikh Mkhitaryan, whose freekick was saved by Renan Ribeiro.
Granit Xhaka, who was playing in an unfamiliar left- back role, warned before the game that this could happen. ‘We can’t score three goals every game,’ the swiss said.
it was not for the lack of effort, nor quality as both teams fielded strong teams. Aaron Ramsey, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan started for Arsenal while former Manchester United winger Nani starred for sporting.
in fairness to Arsenal, the trip to Lisbon looked the hardest game of their Europa League Group E campaign.
Not that sporting created much either — Nani’s fierce strike over the bar from distance the best they could muster.
On another day, sporting could have been awarded a penalty — Nani and Fredy Montero were both up in arms as referee Damir skomina declined to point to the spot. Deep down the sporting pair knew they were clutching at straws.
Thankfully, Arsenal came flying out of the blocks at the start of the second half and Aubameyang was denied twice by Ribeiro in quick succession.
Welbeck then saw his effort from point-blank range blocked by the former Liverpool defender sebastian Coates after fluent build-up play involving Ramsey and Matteo Guendouzi.
Welbeck and Ramsey then got in each other’s way following Aubameyang’s incisive pass in the 65th minute as Arsenal sensed blood.
By that time Emery had already thrown on dogged midfielder Lucas Torreira in hope of taking a firmer grip on the game. And the move looked to have paid off in the 68th minute when Welbeck had the ball in the net only for skomina to rule the effort out for a foul on Bruno Gaspar in the build-up.
Torreira then forced Ribeiro into another save from a 25-yard free-kick before Arsenal made the breakthrough.
it came from a defensive mistake as Coates somehow failed to cut out Torreira’s through- ball. Perhaps Aubameyang’s failed attempt to touch on the pass put the Uruguayan defender off. But Welbeck was not in any kind of mood to be sympathetic, coolly firing past Ribeiro to notch the winner.
Wenger’s best teams found a way — any way — to win matches. Emery’s teams, it seems, are developing a similar trait.
Up next on sunday are Crystal Palace, who have scored five goals in the Premier League all season. Who would bet against Arsenal making it 12 on the spin at selhurst Park?
SPORTING LISBON (4-3-3): Ribeiro 7; Ristovski 5 (Gaspar 46min, 5), Coates 4, Pinto 6, Acuna 6; Battaglia 6, Petrovic 6, Gudelj (Cabral 71, 6); Nani 6 (Diaby 86); Montero 6, Fernandes 6. Subs not used: Salin, Mane, Mathieu, Luis. Booked: Acuna, Coates, Battaglia, Cabral. Manager: Jose Peseiro 6. ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Leno 6.5; Lichtsteiner 6.5, SOKRATIS 7.5, Holding 7, Xhaka 6.5; Guendouzi 7, Elneny 6 (Torreira 58, 7); Ramsey 7; Mkhitaryan 6.5, Welbeck 7 (Lacazette 81); Aubameyang 6.5 (Iwobi 86). Subs not used: Martinez, Ozil, Mustafi, Jenkinson. Scorer: Welbeck 77. Booked: Holding, Mkhitaryan. Manager: Unai Emery 7. Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia) 6. Attendance: 40,784.