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HIT - Samuel Chukwueze | Villarreal
Samuel Chukwueze provided the assist for the opening goal of the game but it could be argued that he didn't know much about it, as the ball ricocheted onto Manuel Trigueros' path. The Nigerian winger showed glimpses of his pace and dribbling ability in the first half but fully came alive after the interval.
Villarreal were second best in the last quarter of the game, but Chukwueze looked dangerous every time he got on the ball and created a few chances for his side, one of which produced a brilliant Bernd Leno save from a Gerard Moreno shot.
The exciting winger recorded his fifth assist of the UEFA Europa League campaign and showed exactly why he is currently one of the biggest matchwinners in La Liga.
FLOP - Thomas Partey | Arsenal
Thomas Partey misplaced way too many passes for a player of his caliber and failed to exert his influence in the game. While he did grow into the game in the second half, Arsenal's midfield lacked drive and composure on the night, as Dani Ceballos also produced a sub-par performance.
The former Atletico Madrid man also let Raul Albion creep in behind him for what turned out to be the winning goal, as the Spanish defender slammed the ball home from close range.
Partey is capable of playing much better than he did against Villarreal and will need to silence his critics in the coming weeks with a string of impressive displays at the heart of the Gunners midfield.
HIT - Nicolas Pepe | Arsenal
In the absence of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang -- who was on the bench -- the goalscoring burden fell on record signing Nicolas Pepe. The Ivorian looked lively on the night but didn't get himself on the ball as much as he'd have liked in the first half.
However, he looked much better after the interval, as he dropped back and tried to make things happen for his side. Pepe also ensured he did his defensive duties, as he tracked back a handful of times to help out the Arsenal fullbacks.
The Gunners didn't create too many chances, but Pepe calmly converted a penalty to give his side hope going into the second leg.
