Arsenal saviour: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang kept the Gunners’ season alive in Athens
(Picture: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)Mikel Arteta thought Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would rediscover his goalscoring touch against Benfica on Thursday after witnessing the way he reacted to missing a penalty in training.
The Gunners came from behind to beat Benfica in the second leg of their last-32 Europa League tie, with Aubameyang scoring the winner in the 87th minute.
Before that, the forward had put Arsenal ahead but Benfica hit back with goals from Diogo Goncalves and Rafa Silva.
Those strikes left the Gunners needing two goals in 29 minutes, however they managed to get them as first Kieran Tierney and then Aubameyang found the net to secure a 3-2 victory on the night and 4-3 win on aggregate.
It was a nervy finish for Arsenal, but Arteta has revealed he believed his side was going to win after witnessing how Aubameyang reacted to missing a penalty in training before the game in Athens.
The 31-year-old had previously endured a tough week, missing chances against Benfica in the first leg in Rome before being quiet in defeat to Manchester City.
“Sometimes when you go through difficult moments, you can have those difficult moments and get into a sad mode and I think that’s the worst thing you can do because nobody has to feel sorry for themselves when you’re having those moments,” said Arteta.
“What you have to do is get upset, get angry, work harder and approach the situation and face it.
“Face the challenge in a way that creates more motivation and more hunger to do it and I think in recent weeks I’ve seen that reaction.
“For example, in a training session before we played here he (Aubameyang) missed a penalty and he was really upset.
“Instead of going sad, he got upset and I said to the coaching staff that I like that and that he would be fine tomorrow. When you have that mentality, I think that’s the right way to approach it.”
