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It has been a very challenging week for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta. The Gunners saw their season drown after exiting the Europa League.
A goalless draw against Villarreal ended Arsenal’s only hope of winning a trophy and qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
However, the Gunners put the disappointment of exiting the Europa League behind them as they defeated West Bromwich Albion 3-1 on Sunday.
Emile Smith-Rowe, Nicolas Pepe and Willian were on the score sheet, ensuring Matheus Pereira’s goal was all but a consolation for the now-relegated Baggies.
Gunners return to winning ways
Arsenal’s season may currently be beyond saving, but it was very important that they returned to winning ways after their disastrous performance in the Europa League.
And they did just that. Despite very little being on the line, the Gunners put up an improved performance, playing with guile and intensity.
Their first goal was a demonstration of what the fans want to see from the team – quick passing, proactivity and ruthless finishing.
The north London outfit have moved up to ninth in the Premier League but their chances of qualifying for the Europa League or the newly-formed Conference League remain very slim.
Europa League exit still taunts Arsenal
Arsenal tried very hard to get a reaction against West Brom following their exit from the Europa League. That was understandable, considering how the team let their fans down against Villarreal over two legs.
The fact is that many Arsenal fans are still reeling from the pain of exiting Europe. The Gunners had a huge opportunity to save their season and failed to take it.
Arteta admitted after the win over West Brom that he was still hurting. In truth, though, the whole team was hurting, but they can only blame themselves.
"I do take [responsibility], it is still there, still hurting. You can probably see in my body language it is still there. There were very small margins. I still feel very responsible," the Arsenal boss said, as quoted by Goal.
"We have done so many right steps, some you can see and some you can't. The foundations are there.
"[Today], the best way to do it is with the right attitude. The three goals were very different but really good individual and collective actions."
There’s very little to play for at the moment but the Gunners owe it to their fans to finish the season as strongly as possible. Maybe they can qualify for Europe’s newly-established third-tier competition, the Conference League.
