Arsenal have won a place in the final of the Europa League after beating Valencia 4-2 in the second leg of their semi-final at the Mestalla.
Unai Emery’s men took a 3-1 advantage to Spain after their win against the La Liga side last week at the Emirates, but Valencia's early strike through Kevin Gameiro gave the hosts hope of a comeback.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalised after 17 minutes to restore Arsenal's two-goal aggregate advantage before Alexandre Lacazette scored their fifth of the tie, but Gameiro scored his second to make it 5-3 to Arsenal on aggregate before Aubameyang's hat-trick goal sealed it.
Our idea is to play the match to win. And if you want to win, you need to score. [Valencia] are a very aggressive team and well structured defensively — but they need to score. So our idea is to do both and take our chances.I first competed for this title here at Valencia when it was still the Uefa cup and was a lesser title than I think it is now. It has grown. It’s an important title for all those teams that are not in the Champions league – and for some who drop into it as a second chance, like Valencia this season.
It’s a title they all want to win. Giving teams a Champions League place through the Europa league is a fair reward. I have seen that shift. It’s an attractive title and it’s getting more attractive: now we have seen Manchester United, Atlético and Sevilla win.
The demands are high and everyone wants it, as a title, not just a way in [to the Champions League]. At any club like Arsenal or Valencia, titles have to be objectives [in themselves].
Arsenal only have two European titles in their history: the old Fairs cup and the cup winners cup, neither of which now exist, so I have a lot of ambition to win a title.”
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