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Arsenal is two victories from the glory of the Europa League.
The Gunners will be heading to Mestalla next Thursday for the second leg in the semifinal against Valencia with a two-goal lead following a 3-1 victory at Emirates Stadium.
After three straight defeats in the Premier League, a sequence of results that compromised their first four hopes, beating the La Liga formation was certainly the perfect answer.
But how did the players go?
Find out how we rated them below …
Petr Cech – The veteran Arsenal did not have the chance to score, but he played his last appearance under the shirt of Arsenal. A real pro and a legend of English football. 6
Shkodran Mustafi – Bad position for the decisive goal of Valencia and low defensive coverage for a very poor goal. 5
Sokratis – He went into challenges, but should he have been more aware of Diakhaby's goal? 6
Laurent Koscielny – The Gunners captain spoke warmly of Aaron Ramsey in Valencia pre-press Wednesday at Colney, while mentioning his difficulties when he returned to the first team. He pointed out that it was the Europa League semifinal last year in which he had contracted his serious Achilles tendon injury and played as if he wanted to banish those painful memories of the last four games of the previous season. 6
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Envoy offside last weekend against Leicester, the young man has dropped no one in his rear wing position. 7
Matteo Guendouzi – Emery opted for the 20-year-old to benefit Lucas Torreira, a more experienced player, who was looking for a little more mobility thanks to his defensive shields against a highly technical and technically efficient Valencia attack. Was the move a success? Not if the first 15 minutes left something to be desired as the opposition pressed forward. Replaced by Torreira in the 58th minute. 6
Xhaka granite – Not as effective as he would have liked during the first 15 minutes of the match, where Valencia scored the decisive goal on the outside. Excels in depth but is not an all-in-action midfielder needed to win the battle in the middle of the field in the face of a strong and powerful attack. 6
Sead Kolasinac – has not managed to deliver a large number of important centers, especially in the first period. A powerful footballer but who does not impose his will to the games that demand his musculature. 6
Mesut Ozil – Creative talent has been given a vital role as a playmaker between the defensive work of the two deep circles and the two attackers. Influential in the return of Arsenal while he was purring through the return of both goals. Worth his warm ovation after he was replaced by Mkhitaryan. 7
Alexandre Lacazette – Two goals from the Arsenal striker have settled this match. Watched lively all night and never let Valencia's defense settle. Well linked to the PEA, the pair fits well. 8
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Remarkably selfless for a high level striker. He has an excellent understanding with his friend Laceztte. His powerful and rising race was a joy to watch. For me, he is the player of the Arsenal season. 19 goals in 33 league games are proof. Like five others in Europe and excellent performances not sung like this one. He deserved his late goal of sending the crowd into ecstasy. 8
(Image: (Photo of Justin Setterfield / Getty Images))
substitutes:
Lucas Torreira: Guendouzi was replaced early in the second half. This decision was indicative of Emery's recognition that his decision to start with the youngest player was perhaps wrong. 7
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: Ozil was replaced and found out of the game. 6
Nacho Monreal: Late replaced a tired Koscielny after recovering from a tight calf. 6
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