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Arsene Wenger's last chance at European silverware with Arsenal went begging at the Metropolitan Stadium on Thursday (May 3), as his side crashed out of the Europa League semi-final with a 1-0 loss (1-2 aggregate) against Atletico Madrid.
Diego Simeone's team put in a peculiarly disciplined and compact performance in their defence, thereby ensuring that Arsenal's front force did not get on the scoresheet on the day. It was a tepid and lacklustre performance from the visitors, who tried and tried to make something happen in the final third, but could not get past the famed Madrid defence.
It was Diego Costa, an old foe for Arsenal, who got the sole goal of the evening to seal the tie in Madrid's favour and send the Gunners to London with another 2-1 heartbreak in a European competition.
Here are the individual player ratings from the second leg:
Arsenal
David Ospina: 5/10
The Colombian goalkeeper did well for most of the night, but could not save the shot from Costa. He came out towards the Chelsea forward and went down too quickly, giving him space to hook the ball into the net.
Hector Bellerin: 3/10
It was a poor day in the office for the right-back. His crosses were not up to the mark, the runs he made could not threaten the Atletico defence, and it was his inability to stop the brute power of Costa that led directly to Arsenal falling behind on the night.
Shkodran Mustafi: 6/10
The German defender has made some perilous errors this season. However, his performance against Madrid was fairly decent in comparison. He won seven air duels on the day and completed four successful tackles.
Laurent Koscielny: NA
The French international went down to a torn Achilles and was carried off on a stretcher in the 12th minute of the game.
Nacho Monreal: 3/10
Monreal tried to make things happen on both sides of the pitch, but his execution was extremely poor on the day. His crosses either couldn't clear the first man on the pitch or had too much power on them to fly across without touching another player in the opposition box.
Aaron Ramsey: 5/10
Arsenal's biggest chance of the night came to the Welsh international, but he failed to get his foot up to the ball quick enough to make something out of it in the Atletico penalty box. He couldn't create anything special in the final third and was rendered ineffective by the disciplined defence of the hosts.
Granit Xhaka: 6.5/10
The Swiss international was amongst Arsenal's better performers on the night. He was solid in defence, making three crucial tackles and winning two aerial duels. He was also the only player from the North London side with a shot on target through the 92 minutes of the game.
Jack Wilshere: 4/10
Another poor performance from the English midfielder, who failed to rise to the occasion despite taking the captain's band from Koscielny after the latter was taken off. He had a chance to score off a cross from Lacazette, but couldn't reach the ball in time to trouble Jan Oblak.
Danny Welbeck: 5/10
The English forward has been in good touch recently, but could not replicate his performances from the last few games on Thursday. He was dispossessed multiple times and his decision-making in the final third was questionable, to say the least. He did put in a shift though, and his work-rate was immense through the game.
Mesut Ozil: 5/10
Arsenal's talisman failed them in the biggest match of the season and was unable to weave his magic in Spain against Simeone's men. He tracked back and tried to win back possession many times through the game, but barring a couple of occasions, could not create anything special going forward.
Alexandre Lacazette: 6/10
The Frenchman tried his best to trouble the home defenders but received no service whatsoever from the players behind him. He whooped in a couple of crosses from the flanks, but they were rendered useless at the end of it all.
Substitutes
Calum Chambers: 7/10
The defender definitely was the best Arsenal player on the day, and looked like the only one who was up for the challenge. Riding on the back of a strong performance at Old Trafford on Sunday, he made numerous tackles against the Atletico forwards and was a composed figure in the Arsenal box.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 5/10
The Armenian came onto the pitch with just 20 minutes remaining on the clock. He couldn't do anything significant in that period. He gets a standard five.
Atletico Madrid
Jan Oblak: 6/10
The Slovenian had almost nothing to do in the game, except one save that he made from a shot that Xhaka took from outside the box.
Thomas Partey: 7/10
He charged to and fro the right flank, allowing Koke to drift towards the central midfield and control the play. Partey saw a lot of the ball as well, keeping the likes of Monreal and Welbeck in check.
Jose Gimenez: 8/10
The central defender combined well with Godin, ensuring that Arsenal were cramped for space through the middle and thus, were forced to go wide with their attack. He also put in a couple of successful tackles in his box.
Diego Godin: 8.5/10
He was always at the right place while defending. The defender made some crucial clearances in the box and ensured that the Arsenal attack stayed at bay throughout the game. His clearance off an Ozil ball was imperative in his side keeping a clean sheet on the day.
Lucas Hernandez: 7/10
The left-back was able to pressurize Bellerin into giving the ball away more often than not, while also keeping a tab on Lacazette, who was drifting out to the right to see more of the ball.
Koke: 7/10
He worked hard on the day and was the liaison between the defensive and attacking force of his team. He also had two shots in the game and combined well with Partey to strengthen the right flank for the hosts.
Gabi: 7/10
Gabi was his usual self, disrupting the Arsenal attack at will, not allowing them to play their free-flowing football. He crowded the midfield and created problems for the likes of Wilshere and Ramsey.
Saul Niguez: 7/10
The midfielder was precise with his passing and put in three successful tackles on the day. He was booked in the 71st minute of the game.
Vitolo: 7/10
He retained his position through most of the match and protected the likes of Hernandez and Godin with his disciplined performance.
Antoine Griezmann: 9/10
Undoubtedly, the Man of the Match of the entire tie. Scored the crucial away goal at the Emirates and assisted the one at home, finding Costa with a pinpoint pass in the Arsenal half.
Diego Costa: 8/10
The former Chelsea striker tormented Arsenal with his thumping attack and power, creating numerous problems for them through his sheer presence on the field. The only goal of the night came off a strong finish from his right foot.
Substitutes
Angel Correa: 5/10
He came on for Vitolo in the 74th minute and his job was to protect Hernandez. He did that without any hiccups.
Fernando Torres: 6/10
He came on for Costa after the 80th-minute mark and tested Ospina with a shot on target.
Stefan Savic: 5/10
He came into the middle in injury time for Partey. Gets a standard five.
