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Football London
Football London
Sport
Jamie Kemble

'Devastating and relentless' - How the national media saw Arsenal's win over Slavia Prague

Arsenal progressed to the semi-finals of the Europa League with a huge win over Slavia Prague on Thursday night.

The Gunners went into the second leg level at 1-1 after a disappointing first leg but they had no problem overcoming the away goal deficit in the Czech Republic on Thursday night.

Mikel Arteta's men romped to a 4-0 win to progress to the penultimate stage, setting up a semi-final tie with Villarreal and former boss Unai Emery, who cruised past Dinamo Zagreb in their quarter-final.

As ever, our coverage of Arsenal's win over Slavia can be found on our dedicated Gunners page here, but below we have rounded up how some of the national media saw the win.

The Mirror

Here's how the Mirror saw it: "A brilliant first half burst from Arsenal paved the way for a smooth progression through to the Europa League semi-finals at Slavia Prague's expense.

"Having been held to a 1-1 draw by the Czech side in the first leg, the Gunners roared into action in the second and thought they'd took the lead when Emile Smith Rowe saw his effort ruled out for offside.

"The youngster soon teed up Nicolas Pepe for the opener though, with Alexandre Lacazette's penalty and a fine strike from Bukayo Saka ensuring that the Gunners had scored three goals inside six minutes to dazzle their hosts.

"Lacazette grabbed his second in the second period as Arsenal eased to a 5-1 aggregate win, and they will face Villarreal in the last four."

The Telegraph

The Telegraph report read: "In this season of turbulence and turmoil for Arsenal, there have been occasional moments when Mikel Arteta’s grand masterplan has been visible for all to see.

"It has not happened often enough, and there have been plenty of moments of despair and dejection too, but every now and then they appear to be a team of genuine quality.

"Against Slavia Prague, on a night when winning was all that mattered, Arteta’s players produced the sort of football he has been trying so hard to instil.

"They played seemingly without nerves, and certainly without hesitation, as they swept into the Europa League semi-finals for the third time in four seasons. Unai Emery, their former head coach now at Villarreal, awaits in the next round.

"It is a delicious prospect, and one which should be wonderfully entertaining on the touchline as well as on the pitch.

"Emery knows all about Arsenal’s players, although he rarely saw them shine as brightly as they did in the first half in Prague."

The Sun

The Sun said: "Unai Emery are you ready? Because Arsenal are out to show their former manager that they are determined to go all the way in the Europa League.

"And it is Emery’s Villarreal who are standing in their way after Mikel Arteta’s men set up a semi-final blockbuster in devastating style.

"'It was fantastic from start to finish,' said Bukayo Saka, the teenage sensation who excelled again on the right wing. 'It shows everyone how exciting we can be. When we play like this it is amazing to be involved in. We have a chance of winning this competition. It is up to us.'

"No matter what happens in the rest of this strange campaign, Arteta can point to this performance as proof that his overall strategy has promise. Slavia are a fine side, who had already defeated Leicester City and Rangers in this competition, but they were torn to pieces by Arsenal’s combination of youth and speed.

"Not for the first time this season, it was the youngsters who led the way. Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe were at their devastating best in a scintillating first half, carrying the ball with menace and combining with Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe.

"In the end there was no need for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, suffering at home with malaria, as the resurgent Alexandre Lacazette continued to lead the line. After scoring twice against Sheffield United on Sunday, the Frenchman added two more to take his tally for the season to 17, three more than Aubameyang.

"After 90 minutes of sluggish and wasteful football in the first leg, Arsenal killed the tie in the space of six first-half minutes. Pepe, Lacazette and Saka all struck in succession, ripping into the home side’s defence at a relentless pace."

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