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Arsenal welcomed Olympiakos to the Emirates Stadium for the second leg of their Europa League Round of 32 fixture. The Gunners were 1-0 victors in Greece which means they headed into the encounter with a slight advantage. However, the match was so tight that the deadlock was only broken in the 53rd minute through a Pape Abou Cisse header.
The score stayed the same until the 90th minute, thereby taking the game into extra time. Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang scored a stunning half volley but the home fans' joy was short-lived as Youssef El Aarabi struck home in the 119th minute to send Olympiakos to the next round.
Here are 3 talking points from Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Olympiakos.
#3 Red card for Ba?
One thing that has frustrated football fans the most this season is the implementation of VAR. Fans have realised that the technology won’t solve every problem on the pitch as it’s still dependent on referees and their inconsistencies.
In the 20th minute, Nicolas Pepe was taken down by two Napoli centre-backs when he was set through on goal. More evidently, Ousseynou Ba hacked the former Lille sensation down, denying the him of a clear goalscoring opportunity.
The rules normally dictate that a deliberate foul warrants a red card but the referee seemingly felt that this clear-cut challenge warranted a yellow card instead. A red card would have given Arsenal more control over the tie but instead, they were robbed of their right by a poor refereeing decision, despite VAR being available to correct such inefficiencies.
Also Read: Lacazette won't push for exit if Arsenal fail to qualify for Champions League
#2 Lacklustre Arsenal
It took until the 75th minute for Arsenal to register their first shot on target despite Mikel Arteta having started all the big hitters for the fixture. Perhaps, playing four games in 11 days began to take its toll on the players, which was not aided by the manager’s lack of rotation.
Throughout the majority of the game, the Gunners looked void of ideas in the final third and often lacked the intensity to tightly mark players at the back. Olympiakos simply counter-attacked at will, knowing they wouldn’t be pressed or tracked without any conviction.
The front four of Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Nicolas Pepe were not in sync and struggled to carve open a resolute Olympiakos defence. Having to go into extra time didn’t do many favours for an already worn-out Arsenal side. In the end, they got what they deserved.
#1 No chance of UCL qualification
Having reached last year’s Europa League final, Arsenal were banking on going one step further this season.
In essence, this year’s UEL campaign was more important than any of the previous runs. Why? The club’s league form has been so inconsistent that they have very little chance of finishing in the top 4 at the end of the season. As evidenced by Arteta’s selection of his strongest XI, the Gunners wanted to win this competition at all costs, seeing as his team currently sit 9th in the Premier League.
It’s as if the Arsenal players didn’t realise what was at stake tonight, with their lacklustre attitude and performance costing them dearly once again.
Also Read: 4 reasons why Arsenal will finish in the top 4 this season | Premier League 2019-20
