Arsenal were in desperate need of a confidence boosting win heading into this game as they got their Europa League campaign for the season underway. They went head to head with Eintracht Frankfurt, who were able to reach the semi-finals of the competition last season. In the end, Unai Emery’s men were able to show up when it mattered the most as they defeated the German side 3-0.
Back in business
From the word go it was clear to see that the Gunners, who weren’t afraid to play some of their fringe stars, were in for a long night. While they seemed to dictate the pace of the game at times, Frankfurt certainly weren’t shy when it came to pushing forward, registering a lot of attacks in the process. Alas, it was the visitors who were able to take the lead courtesy of a deflected effort from Joe Willock.
Frankfurt were able to hang around for large portions of the game and their confidence was growing as we looked ahead to the latter stages of the second half. With five minutes of normal time remaining, however, Bukayo Saka was able to round off a fantastic performance with a goal that put Arsenal in the driving seat. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang popped up with another strike to add to his growing tally, finishing off what wound up being a fairly flattering result.
“We knew tonight was going to be difficult, they fell back very deep and caused us problems early on.
One step closer
“We recovered the ball well and the young players showed the confidence to take their chances.
“Everybody can be happy and continuing in this competition is important, so it was good to get a good win, especially away from home.” said Emery.
Arsenal will now turn their attention to this weekend, knowing that they are in need of a big win in the Premier League following three PL games without a victory. They’ll be hosting Aston Villa at the Emirates, where dropped points won’t really be acceptable. Eintracht, on the other hand, aren’t going to have it easy as they prepare to host high-flying Borussia Dortmund in Bundesliga.
Match Report
Eintracht Frankfurt: Trapp (6), Hinteregger (6.5), Hasebe (6), Abraham (5), Kostic (6.5), Sow (6.5), Kohr (5), Costa (6.5), Kamada (6.5), Silva (6.5), Dost (6.5), Chandler (6), Paciencia (6)
Arsenal: Martinez (8.5), Chambers (8), Mustafi (7), Luiz (7.5), Kolasinac (7), Torreira (7), Xhaka (8), Rowe (6), Willock (8), Saka (9), Aubameyang (7.5), Pepe (7), Maitland-Niles (6.5), Ceballos (6.5)
Referee: Davide Massa
Goals: Willock, Saka, Aubameyang
Yellow Cards: Hinteregger, Kohr x2, Kamada, Chambers, Kolasinac, Willock
Red Cards: Kohr
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