After the dramatic scenes against Bournemouth last weekend, Arsenal served up yet more entertainment here in Lisbon. This was not, however, a game Mikel Arteta will remember that fondly as the Gunners battled to a 2-2 draw against Sporting in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.
This was a bizarre game and one where Arsenal were lacking their usual fluency in possession. The fact Arteta made six changes probably didn’t help that, but this was still a strong side and more than good enough to beat Sporting. In the end, the Gunners needed a fortuitous own-goal by Hidemasa Morita to take a draw back to London for next week’s second leg.
Arteta will have breathed a sigh of relief at that because at times it looked like Arsenal could easily return home empty handed. Matt Turner looked shaky in goal and debutant Jakub Kiwior also looked rusty in the heart of defence. Ahead of them, the midfield was devoid of its usual cohesion.
